Royal Highland Show launches kids’ writing contest

A short story writing competition has been launched by the Royal Highland Show, inviting Scottish pupils to explore farming’s future ahead of the annual June event near Edinburgh.

Open to primary pupils in P5 to P7 and secondary pupils in S1 to S3, the initiative aims to connect classrooms with rural life, food systems and the environment.

See also: How award-winning ag student graduated to a role in farm tech

Children are asked to submit original stories based on one of four themes: the future of farming, sustainable food production, innovation in agriculture, or caring for animals, crops or the environment.

Entries must be submitted by Friday, 15 May.

Primary pupils are asked that their stories have a maximum of 250 words, while secondary pupils have a maximum of 500 words

The competition includes a chance to win family tickets to attend the Sunday of the Royal Highland Show, book vouchers (£100 for winners and £50 for runners-up), and the winning stories being published in The Scottish Farmer.

The winners will also receive family passes to the Wigtown Book Festival which takes place in Dumfries & Galloway in the autumn.

Focus on education

The Royal Highland Show, Scotland’s largest showpiece event run by the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland, has a longstanding focus on education and agricultural development.

Organisers say the competition builds on that legacy by encouraging pupils to explore how farming may evolve in the coming decades.

Head of show David Tennant said: “The Royal Highland Show is all about celebrating and sustaining the future of Scottish agriculture.

“This competition offers a unique way to help connect young people with rural Scotland, encouraging them to think creatively about how we might grow and source our food, or how innovation might support farmers in the decades ahead.”

The judging panel includes children’s author Catherine Stables and author and publisher Jayne Baldwin.

Ms Stables said: “You don’t need a farming background to enter, just lots of creativity to imagine how our farms might operate in years to come.”

Ms Baldwin added: “This competition is an opportunity to have fun with words and imagine an entirely new world… of how we’ll farm, look after animals and work in agriculture 10, 20 or 30 years from now.”

The Royal Highland Show will take place from 18 to 21 June at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, Edinburgh, with more than 200,000 visitors expected to attend.

Competition entries should be emailed to rhsshortstorycomp@mucklemediagroup.co.uk and include the name of the pupil and their year group.