Giya, from Year 9, has been highly commended in the national 2026 Six Word Story Competition, held annually by the creative writing charity First Story and supported by Penguin Random House. This hugely popular competition challenges students to write a compelling story in just six words. This year, 950 young writers from 26 schools took part.
Giya was highly commended for their entry ‘I was introduced to mother again’ with the Penguin Random House judging panel noting that the overall “creativity and range of entries were incredible”.
Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous six word story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn”, the six word story challenge is a real test of skill and creativity and one of the many ways that First Story encourages young people to discover their own unique voice and storytelling abilities.
Miss Akhtar, Key Stage Three Leader for English, said ‘A massive congratulations Giya on your incredible success in the Penguin Books six-word story competition! Your story perfectly echoes the ‘button eyed’ horror of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and we couldn’t be more delighted to see your talent sewn into the spotlight! To be highly commended by Penguin Books for such a chillingly clever twist is a phenomenal achievement!’
Ms Brannick, Principal shared ‘We are incredibly proud of Giya on being highly commended in this competition. It is a real pleasure to celebrate her creative flair and talent, which reflect the high standard of work we are committed to here at Landau Forte College.
We hope Giya’s success will serve as an inspiration to other students and encourage them to develop a passion for writing with confidence. Congratulations to Giya on this incredible and well-deserved achievement!’
