Creative Writing Prize 2026
A collaboration between the Outreach Team in the Faculty of Classics
and our friends at the Ashmolean Museum
Choose one of the three objects below and use it to inspire you to create one of the following:
Poem Short story Dialogue
Dramatic monologue Creative description
Each object has been chosen by one of three special guest judges from the Ashmolean Museum:
Molly Taylor - Sir Arthur Evans Archive Digitisation Assistant
Daniel Bone - Head of Conservation
Eleanor Standley - Curator of Medieval Archaeology
Winners will be selected in each of the following categories:
Ages 11-13
Ages 14-16
Ages 17-18
The first prize winner (plus a parent or guardian) in each age category will be invited to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (we'll pay travel expenses within the UK). There you'll take part in an exclusive handling session using artefacts from the Ashmolean's Antiquities collection. You'll also receive a £50 gift token.
The second, third and fourth places in each category will each win a £50 gift token, but we are only able to send these to entrants with a UK address.
GOOD LUCK!
Make sure that your entry is no more than 500 words and email it to us at outreachcompetition@classics.ox.ac.uk.
You can attach it to your email as a Word or PDF file, or simply send us a good, clear photo of your writing.
We won't be able to open anything that needs a password or is stored on your Sharepoint or Onedrive.
Only include your name, age and object number in the email. Don't write your name on your entry because these will be judged anonymously.
The last day for entry is Sunday 15 March 2026 and entries absolutely, definitely won't be accepted after this date.
** By entering this competition you agree that the work is entirely your own and not created by AI. **
