By Rob Pickford, teacher in Primary at Caxton College in Puzol

The future of writing in Valencia is bright, and this week we saw that future come to life on the stage of the Caxton Theatre. We were absolutely delighted to host the inaugural Inter-School 500-Word Writing Competition, a fantastic initiative that brought together eight international schools from across the Valencia region: British School of Valencia, British School Los Olivos, British School Alzira, Gandía & Xàtiva, El Plantío International School, Cambridge House British International School and Caxton College.

From the moment the competition launched on World Book Day, our theme—"Think of the most magical story or event you can imagine"—inspired hundreds of students to pick up their pens and let their imaginations soar. The creativity displayed in these entries was nothing short of extraordinary. Each school had to decide between hundreds of inspired entries to select their three finalists. The 24 were all winners and as our judges labelled them, authors already!

Our finalists faced a truly rigorous selection process, culminating in a live judging session with our panel of distinguished experts: BAFTA award-winning screenwriter Guy Burt, children’s author Lola Llatas, author Tony Azzi, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Robinson. They faced the unenviable task of selecting winners from such inspired, creative, and engaging storytelling.

The highlight of the event was the prize-giving ceremony, where finalists were celebrated in front of their families and peers. A special congratulations goes to our overall winner, Blanca from the British School of Valencia, whose storytelling captivated our judges. We were also thrilled to award special prizes to a number of other students who captured the individual judges with their writing.

This competition was about more than just the accolades; it was about providing validation to our young writers. Knowing that their work was read and valued by experts of such standing has given these students a tremendous sense of pride and confidence.

We are incredibly grateful to the teachers and families who supported this journey, and we hope this event becomes an annual tradition, fostering a regional community of young authors for years to come.

Thank you for helping us make the magic happen!