BENGALURU: All budding writers under the ages of twelve have a golden opportunity to be featured in a book that will be judged by some well-known authors. Called the ‘12undertwelve’ competition, the winning stories will be featured in a book to be out by publication house, FunOkPlease.
Talking about the initiative, Shekar CS, CEO, Unlimited, Arvind Brands Limited that has organised the contests says, “Children have unhindered imagination and the ability to see regular things very differently. More than the use of correct grammar or spellings, the contest is looking forward to interesting ideas, quirky characters and imaginative plots. There is a story in every child and the aim of this initiative is to give voice to the stories.”
The contests is a continuation of the ‘Art of Storytelling’ initiative held in May where interactive storytelling workshops took place in various cities. Children participating in the storytelling workshops got a chance to interact with well-known storytellers.
The jury for the competition includes Preeti Vyas, founder, FunOKPlease, Vinitha Ramchandani, columnist and author of more than 18 books for children and Lubaina Bandukwala, founder- ‘Peek A Book Lit Fest.’
Once the “12 Under 12” storytellers are identified, the jury will work with them in polishing the stories, illustrating them and designing the book along with the children.
“The books will be available at all online bookstores as an e-book to start with. The book will be promoted extensively on social media and in-store. It will also be part of our next storytelling context. We are confident that the content of this book will pique the interest of many,” adds Shekar
The organizers are hoping to receive upwards of 1000 valid entries from across the country. “However the initiative focuses on the quality and experience of participation and learning than the number of entries. We do hope this will bring in a new way of thinking amongst our younger consumers,” adds Shekar.
The call for entries for this activity ends on July 17. Entries for the contest can be submitted online. For more details one can email queries to 12undertwelve@gmail.com