The Orwell Youth Prize uses the writing of George Orwell to inspire you to write about your own ideas and experiences.
It’s open to everyone at secondary school or college in the UK, or on a UK curriculum. This year’s theme is TRUTH.
“There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.”
George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four
What does truth mean to you?
What threats are there to truth, in this country and around the world?
The Orwell Youth Prize gives you:
- the freedom to write about what matters to you, in your own way
- support to make your work the best it can be
- a platform for your voice and ideas
- a chance to win a cash prize and books for you and for your school
WHAT DO I WIN?
All entries will be read by our experienced volunteer readers and everyone who enters by our feedback deadline of 25th February 2026 is offered personalised feedback, with helpful tips to help make your entry the best it can be. The final deadline is 29th April 2026.
Winners and runners up are announced in three age categories. All winners receive a £100 cash prize, a certificate and the complete works of Orwell for themselves and for their school, courtesy of Penguin Books. Winners are also published in The Orwell Prize Anthology, alongside the winning entries from The Orwell Prizes for books and journalism.
All winners and runners up are also published on our website and invited to become part of the Orwell Youth Fellows programme, a collective of young writers working on collaborative, creative projects, throughout the UK. Runners up also receive a copy of Orwell’s essays and a certificate.
We also work with our winners and runners up to ensure your writing reaches the people you want to be heard by, from policymakers to inspirational writers and journalists.
WHO CAN ENTER?
The Prize is open to all secondary school students in years 7-13 (or equivalent) at school or college in the United Kingdom (or studying from a British Curriculum abroad – see our Terms and Conditions for details).
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE?
As long as you have engaged with the theme in some way in your piece, you can write in any form you like. Journalism, essays, short stories, reviews, letters, blog posts, poems, plays and even video game design concepts are all welcome.
Orwell himself wrote in a huge variety of forms, from novels to non-fiction books, essays and journalism, depending on what he had to say. Our resources offer some suggestions on how to choose the form that works best for your entry.
Whatever form you chose, the word limit is 1000 words if you’re in school years 7-11, and 1500 words for school years 12-13.
WHERE NEXT?
The Orwell Youth Prize is far more than just a Prize. Alongside personal feedback, we offer resources, lesson plans and inspirational events to help you at every stage in your writing journey.
If you’re a teacher supporting your students through the programme, you can find out more about our resources here.
We have also designed a pathway for individual entrants, beginning with some inspiration from Orwell himself and reading recommendations, which we will update throughout the year. Head here to get started!
Once you have a piece you would like to enter, you can use the entry form to ask for feedback, or to submit your final draft.
If you have any questions take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions. If you can’t find the answer there, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Download our posters and flyers here:
Follow us on Instagram (@orwellyouthprize) and LinkedIn (@orwellfoundation) for the latest updates.