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What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received, or given yourself, and how has it helped you?

Do you fancy sharing your experience and words of wisdom with others, and having your work published online? Are you over 14? If so, submit your story to our Write Speak Share competition for your chance to win some fantastic prizes, including VIP tickets to see James Arthur in the Leeds First Direct Arena and dinner for two in Five Guys.

About the competition

IMO exists to celebrate your achievements and to share your experiences and advice with others in a similar situation to you. Write Speak Share is our annual content creation competition. As well as giving away some brilliant prizes, we’ll publish the best entries on IMO for others in care to read.

Theme: Advice

The theme for this year’s competition is advice. We want to know: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received, or given yourself, and how has it helped you?

Format: entries can take the form of a blog post, short story, article, poem, photograph, video, vlog or podcast – as long as it fits with the theme, you can be as creative as you like! The maximum word count is 800 words.

Who can enter: Teenagers over 14 in care and care leavers in England, up to the age of 25.

Closing date: midnight on Sunday 9 February 2020

Prizes: The winner will receive two VIP tickets to see James Arthur in the Leeds First Direct Arena on Wednesday 11 March (guests will get a lanyard each that entitles them to VIP lounge access, chips, water, and ice cream), and dinner (burger, fries and a soft drink) for two in Five Guys. Three runners-up will each receive exclusive IMO prizes including dinner for two in Five Guys and Skinny Dip goodies.

Guest judge: to be confirmed in early January 2020

How to enter: Complete our competition entry form and send it, along with your entry, to [email protected]. You can also post your entry to:

IMO – Write, Speak, Share

Children’s Commissioner’s Office

Great Smith Street

London SW1P 3BT

Take a look at our frequently asked questions and terms and conditions before submitting your entry, and if you have any questions email [email protected], or contact us on Twitter. Good luck!

What to write about

The theme is ‘My best piece of advice’. Think back – what is the most useful piece of advice you’ve received? Or perhaps you’ve given yourself some good advice in the past – how has it helped you? It could be advice on anything you like, for example how to speak up if you have a problem, where to go for support, or how to cope with school, homework, social media, or life at home or with your carers.  We want to share your advice to help others in a similar situation to you.

If you’re not sure where to start, or if you need some inspiration, take a look at some of the brilliant content that young people with care experience have already created for IMO here and here.