The Standard is organising the 6^th Story Writing Competition to encourage Hong Kong primary schools students to compose imaginative stories. While developing their creativity at a young age, students will also increase their confidence in expressing themselves and also improve their English writing skills at the same time.

Students can enter either the junior (P1-P3 / G1-G3) group or the senior (P4 – P6 / G4-G6) group to win an award. Junior students are required to draw a picture with an imaginative caption to express their creative idea based on one of the three categories (see below). Senior students have to write a story based on one of the Seven Plots of Fiction.

Awards will be given to individuals who write the best stories in terms of writing quality and completeness, and who draw the best pictures in terms of creativity. Well-written stories and creative drawings may also be published in Goodies and Junior Standard.

Eligibility

All local primary schools students* (Grade 6 or lower for students of international schools)
* Students can enter either the junior (P1-P3 / G1-G3) group or the senior (P4 – P6 / G4-G6) group to win an award ; students can submit more than one entry throughout the Competition.

Individual and School awards

There are three fiction awards for the junior group and seven fiction awards for the senior group.

Students entering the junior group are required to submit a drawing and a caption (50 – 80 words) based on one of the three plots of fiction:

Categories for Junior Group
Defeating Evil	A Journey and Return	Poor to Rich

Students from the senior group have to write a story based on one of the Seven Plots of Fiction:

Categories for Senior Group
Defeating Evil	A Journey and Return	Poor to Rich	The Quest
Comedy	Tragedy	Born Again

The winners of each group in each category will be shortlisted to be chosen as the overall. Champion, First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up. A further five merit awards will also be presented.

The school with the highest number of entries submitted using the 'School Submission Form*' will also be awarded.

The Seven Plots of Fiction

Students submit entries based on the Seven Plots of Fiction. The best story of each plot will be presented the corresponding fiction award.

1. Defeating evil	The hero has to defeat a ‘monster’, which can be anything evil. The hero saves his family or his world from evil, eg, Dracula, Little Red Riding Hood, The Hunger Games.
2. Poor to rich	A poor and sad person goes through many tough challenges but wins in the end and lives happily ever after, eg, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Oliver Twist, Aladdin.
3. The quest	The hero travels to another place to find something important and has to face many tough challenges along the way, eg, One Piece, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Lightning Thief, The Missing Piece.
4. Journey and return	The main character, who has a boring life, goes to a strange and magical world and has an adventure. The hero returns home as a better person, eg, Jack and the Beanstalk, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
5. Comedy	Stories to make you laugh. The hero wants to achieve something but many things block his way, which are funny. In the end he wins, eg, Mr Bean, SpongeBob SquarePants, Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan.
6. Tragedy	This is an unhappy story where a character tries hard to reach a goal and fails, eg, Romeo and Juliet.
7. Born again	The main character has done something wrong but has to change so that he or she can be happy, eg, Frozen, A Christmas Carol, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Competition schedule
Submission period	Now – 30 June 2021
Results announcement	August 2021

Award and Prize details – Junior Group
Category awards	Defeating evil Journey and return Poor to rich	Scoring criteria: creativity; originality; composition; color matching; written quality (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.)	A certificate
Little Explorer awards	Champion First Runner-Up Second Runner-Up	These awards will be selected among the three winners of the category awards.	A trophy + A certificate
Merit awards	Merits x 5		A certificate

Award and Prize details – Senior Group
Category awards	Defeating evil Poor to rich The quest Journey and return Comedy Tragedy Born again	Scoring criteria: creativity; originality; ability to arouse readers’ interest; fluency; written quality (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.)	A certificate
Writer awards	Champion First Runner-Up Second Runner-Up	These awards will be selected among the seven winners of the category awards.	A trophy + A certificate
Merit awards	Merits x 5		A certificate

Other prizes
Most Participating School award	The highest number of entries submitted using the ‘School Submission Form*’ overall	A certificate

Competition Rules

Eligibility	All local primary schools students* (Grade 6 or lower students of international schools) * Students can enter either the junior (P1-P3 / G1-G3) group or the senior (P4 – P6 / G4-G6) group to win an award
Language	English only
Format	Entries can only be submitted either online or in paper format* by post. Entries sent using email or fax will not be accepted.
Writing Limit	Junior Group / Sports Award – 50 to 80 words for the caption; Senior Group – Must not exceed 500 words
Judging criteria	Creativity; originality; ability to arouse readers’ interest; fluency; written quality (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.)
Judges	A panel of judges comprising teachers, authors and news editors
Submission period	Now – 30 June 2021

* For the Most Participating School award, all entries must be submitted by a representative of the school in paper format by post. A valid ‘School Submission Form’ must be completed and stamped with the school chop.

For queries please email us at marketing@thestandard.com.hk .