Children urged to dream up short stories

Icebergs, polar bears, and a stranded pedalo — it sounds more like the beginning of a Disney blockbuster than a children’s competition, but that’s where the crucial ingredient of imagination comes in.

As part of the eighth annual Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, Specsavers is launching a nationwide short story competition for children aged 16 and under.

Stranded in the Arctic having pedalled their pedalo a little too enthusiastically, children will be asked to write a story about happens next to the hapless duo now surrounded by ice.

Children from all over the country are being encouraged to let their imagination take flight, put pen to paper and come up with a short story of no more than 500 words, beginning with the sentence: “I told you not to pedal so fast...”

Closing date for applications is Nov 29, with the two lucky winners receiving a copy of every book shortlisted for the Specsaver’s Irish Children’s Book of the Year, as well as netting a selection of top Irish books for the school library.

The shortlist for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2013 will be announced on Oct 31, with the awards taking place on Nov 26.