DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: TUE, 15 SEPTEMBER 2026
DEADLINE FOR WRITING SUBMISSION: TUE, 15 SEPTEMBER 2026
AWARDS CEREMONY: SUN, 25 OCTOBER 2026
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When Things Don’t Go to Plan …
Sometimes, when things don’t go the way we expect, surprising events happen. Where might this lead? This year, we invite our young writers to explore what happens next.
Some of the best stories don’t begin with everything going right. They begin with a moment — a mix-up, a surprise, a change of plan. When something doesn’t go as expected … where might it lead? A new adventure? A problem to solve? Something funny, surprising, or even magical? There are no right or wrong ideas here — just your imagination, your voice, and your story.
Get started
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Calculate your event age using the calculator below
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Choose from both or either of your age's Story and/or Poetry Writing prompts
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Your poem must use the title offered in the prompt and your prose must begin with the starting phrase offered in the prompt
About the Festival
The Creative Writing Festival is a Hong Kong-wide creative writing competition organised by the Hotung Mills Education Foundation and the English-Speaking Union (Hong Kong). It invites young writers to explore their creativity and English writing skills through poetry and prose. Participants are invited to an an annual awards ceremony, during which they have the opportunity to interact with local and international authors and literary judges, receive prizes, and befriend fellow young writers.
The English-Speaking Union, headquartered in London and New York, is an international organisation whose mission is to promote local and international friendship and cooperation by encouraging the wider use of the English language.
Find Your Event Age
The event age is the age your child will be on submission deadline, 15 September 2026
Please note that your child's event age and current age may not be the same
Please select one of the prompts from the list below. The prompt should reflect your child's event age, even if that differs from your child's current age.
Poetry Writing
5
Age
30 - 50 words
Title: Oops! Not Again!
Poetry Writing
7
Age
50 - 70 words
Title: Upside-Down
Poetry Writing
9-10
Age
70 - 90 words
Title: Plan B
Story Writing
5
Age
100 - 150 words
Title: The Wrong Door
Starting line: "I was supposed to go into the blue door … but I walked through the red one instead. Inside, everything looked very strange ..."
Story Writing
7
Age
200 - 250 words
Title: The Missing Bus
Starting line: "The school bus drove away without me. I thought my day was ruined … until something unexpected happened that made it the best day ever."
Story Writing
9-10
Age
300 - 350 words
Title: The Map That Changed
Starting line: "The map was supposed to lead us to the park. But halfway there, the lines began to move … and suddenly, we were heading somewhere completely different."
Poetry Writing
6
Age
40 - 60 words
Title: Not Quite Right
Poetry Writing
8
Age
60 - 80 words
Title: In a Pickle
Poetry Writing
11-12
Age
80 - 100 words
Title: A Twist in the Tale
Story Writing
6
Age
150 - 200 words
Title: The Day the Cake Fell
Starting line: Mum said, “Don’t drop the cake!”
But just as I walked into the room … SPLAT! And that’s when something odd happened …
Story Writing
8
Age
250 - 300 words
Title: The Shortcut That Wasn’t Short
Starting line: “Let’s take a shortcut,” I said, hoping we’d get there faster. But after a while, it was clear something had gone wrong … and we were no longer where we were meant to be.
Story Writing
11-12
Age
350 - 400 words
Title: The Plan That Backfired
Starting line: "It was supposed to be quick. Easy. No one would notice. But the moment I started, everything went completely wrong …"
