The Chaucer Heritage Trust has launched its eighth annual writing competition for schools inspired by the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, considered by many England’s greatest medieval poet.

The special theme of the competition this year is ‘Surprise, Surprise!’.

The competition is open to all students of school age including not only those in schools and college communities, but also students who are home educated and in any other young people’s community organisations.

The three age groups are:

• Junior – 5-10 years old
• Intermediate – 11-14 years old
• Senior – 15-18 years old

Competition Guidelines – Dhoose ONE of the following:

• Write a poem or story about a surprise.
• Write a poem or story with a twist in the tail.
• Write a description of a character who was not what they appeared to be.

Your writing should invoke the spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. All entries must be in English. Think carefully about the language – choosing the words which best convey your intended meaning and message.

You are encouraged to use everyday language and colloquialisms but if appropriate please include explanations in brackets. Think carefully about the characters in your writing and what they say about the world you live in.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.