Halloween in Sunderland is coming…
Kids of Sunderland, listen up, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing – it’s competition time!
Youngsters are being asked to showcase their spooky skills by creating their very own tale of terror in time for Halloween.
Put your spooktacular writing skills to the test for a chance to win a boatload of incredible prizes – the spookier, the better!
How does it work? Youngsters aged between 5-18 are being invited to enter a 500-word spine-chilling story of mischief, mishaps and mayhem.
The most thrilling stories will be shortlisted and be in with a chance of winning vouchers for Waterstones and the Bridges, as well as a range of other fantastic treats.
Organised by Sunderland BID to coincide with Sunderland Libraries’ Literature Festival, the competition has been divided up into three age groups – five to nine-year-olds, ten to 13-year-olds and 14 to 18-year-olds.
A coven of highly experienced judges has been gathered to decide on the winners, including Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture Keith Merrin, David Turton, a local writer who specialises in dark fiction and horror and Dr Sarah Dobbs, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Sunderland University.
Also joining the judging panel is dance sensation, Joseph Chow, who was one of the finalists on the BBC’s Greatest Dancer.
Sunderland City Council is partnering with the BID for the competition, which is also being supported by Waterstones at the Bridges.
The competition will launch on October 5 and run until October 19, with the judges announcing their favourites with a reading of the winning stories on the scariest night of the year – Halloween.
Sharon Appleby, Head of Business Operations at Sunderland BID believes the contest is the perfect addition to the city’s Halloween programme.
“We already have our Monster Trail and the giant inflatables which are going to make Halloween in the city really exciting,” she said.
“But this competition gives young people of all ages the opportunity to show how creative they are and come up with their own spooky story.
“We’re hoping they will let their imaginations run wild and come up with some incredible tales.”
She added: “We’re really grateful to David Turton, a Sunderland author who came up with the idea as it’s a great way for people to get into the Halloween spirit in a totally socially distanced way.”
Think you’ve got what it takes to have the judges on the edge of their seats? Visit, sunderlandbid.co.uk/sunderlands-spooky-stories and enter now or visit, facebook.com/events/for more information.
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