Sight for Wight’s Short Story Writing Competition is back after the success of last year’s which produced some very high quality entries. This is the 17th year of the competition and the 11th year that Sight for Wight has been involved, originally started by Sight for Wight patrons, RC Bridgestock, international crime writing authors.
Chris Cane, competition organiser, said, ‘This is an exciting opportunity for budding Island writers to become published authors and also win some great prizes. This year’s theme has been inspired by Arreton Primary School as I asked all the schools if they would like to suggest a theme for this year’s competition and Arreton Primary came straight back with Love, Hope, Courage which are their school values so I thought this would be an excellent theme for our authors to create some stunning stories!’
‘We will have our usual categories of Under 8s, 8 -11s, 12-17s, 18+ and our special Edana Minghella Award to honour a very special person, Edana Minghella, who sadly passed away in 2022. Edana has been an avid supporter of the competition and I wanted to ensure her memory lives on with this award. This category winner will be for a story with strength, depth, emotion, well-being and creativity; all characteristics dear to Edana’s heart.’
Each category winner will have their story read by one of this year’s celebrities:
Richard Cadell is a prominent British illusionist, puppeteer, actor, and screenwriter best known as the official presenter and hand of the iconic puppet Sooty. Since succeeding Matthew Corbett in 1998, Richard has served as the third-ever guardian of the globally recognised children’s entertainment franchise.
Chesney Hawkes is best-known for his hit single, “The One and Only”, which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks and reached the top 10 in the United States. This is Chesney’s fourth year reading for us.
Alex Polizzi is best known for presenting The Hotel Inspector, where she helped transform struggling hotels into successful businesses. She now fronts the BBC’s The Fixer, using her expertise to help family-run businesses overcome challenges and thrive.
Stuart McGinley is a British radio presenter who has spent over two decades broadcasting across regional commercial radio, notably in the South and East of England. In late 2024, he officially joined the Easy Radio team to handle their weekend morning broadcasts. He currently hosts the Album Hall of Fame from 8pm to 11pm, Monday through Thursday, on Nation Radio South.
Paul Topping captains the station’s most-listened-to slot, Topping in the Morning, on Isle of Wight Radio, where he broadcasts weekdays from 6:00am. He anchors the show alongside co-hosts like Hayley, Jamie, Emily, and Georgie, drawing tens of thousands of regular adult listeners across the island.
The closing date for entries is Friday 30th October 2026 with the Award Ceremony on Friday 11th December at the Riverside Centre, Newport.
The winning 8 – 11 category story will be published in the County Press along with details of all the winning entries.
Entry forms are available by email admin@iwsb.org.uk or in person from: Waterstones, High Street, Newport, Sight for Wight, Millbrooke House, 137 Carisbrooke Road, Newport, Dress for Less, 57 Pyle Street, Newport and Vectis Radio, at the Riverside Centre, Newport.
Download Entry Form
