The Robot Awakes
This year’s theme is a fantastic opportunity for you to explore the moment something new comes to life. The Robot Awakes invites you to imagine the instant when a machine first becomes aware and begins to experience the world around it. What does it notice first? What questions might it have? Perhaps it is the beginning of a journey, a discovery, or a change. Let your imagination lead the way and tell the story of the moment the robot awakes.
The Writing Brief
The Robot Awakes
The challenge for aged 7 to 11 (Years 3 to 6) students is to write a fiction story.
The student needs to create a title for their story.
The student can write the story from any perspective.
The story should be between 300 and 500 words.
Submissions are now open – but only until Friday 1 May 2026!
Read on for the competition rules and how to enter.
Meet Our Judge
Tamsin Winter
Tamsin Winter is a multi-award-winning author who writes fresh, funny and heartfelt fiction for readers aged 11+. Tamsin grew up in a Northamptonshire village where she spent her childhood reading books and writing stories. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at university, and worked as an English teacher for many years.
The Process
Entries will be judged by the official GSA Writing Award judges of 2026, there will be no sifting.
The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
A longlist will be chosen of six entries from both the junior and senior submissions. Announced the week commencing the 25 May.
A shortlist will be chosen of three entries. Announced the week commencing the 1 June.
One junior winner and one senior winner will be unveiled at the GSA’s Summer Briefing on 15 June.
Longlisted, shortlisted, and winning writers will be publicised over GSA’s owned media channels, and winners will be invited to participate in the Summer Briefing event (details to be agreed).
Submission to this competition assumes that pupils and their guardians have agreed to the publicity of them and their work in the public domain and GSA member schools are requested to have all permissions in place for this.
The shortlisted entries will also be invited to make a video recording of themselves reading their shortlisted entry.
Prizes to be announced soon…
Winning entries will also be on display at GSA’s prestigious Summer Briefing in London at BMA House on 15 June.
Competition Rules
- Girls in all GSA Full member schools and Associate Member schools are invited to take part in the competition.
- Entries are free.
- You can choose to work in a team of up to 4 students if you wish. A team member may not also submit an individual entry.
- Entries must be via the official online entry form with a link to a pdf of your work or you can send files via WeTransfer. Save the document as name, title, school.
- Only one entry per student / team will be accepted.
- Please include Student’s name(s), age, and school on your submission.
- Please include a title for your submission.
- Only one entry per team allowed.
- Entries must be your own original work.
- Entries must be submitted no later than Friday 1 May.
- A supervising teacher’s email address will be required for submission.
