• Tomorrow morning, the winners of the 500 Words: Black Lives Matter competition will be announced live on air, and the winning submissions will be read by Nicole Kidman and Mark Strong
• Eight finalists were showcased on air throughout the course of the week, with celebrity readings from David Tennant, Shobna Gulati, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Abbington, Rob Brydon, Stephen Graham and Sanjeev Bhaskar – and all readings will be made available via Amazon Alexa from tomorrow
• The competition, hosted by Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood, sought to engage young people of all ethnicities and backgrounds across the UK in creative expression, building on the international conversation around Black Lives Matter
• In addition to Bell and Underwood, the judging panel included Malorie Blackman OBE, Charlie Higson, Francesca Simon and Frank Cottrell-Boyce
• The 500 Words creative initiative is supported by Virgin Radio

Chris Evans announced on the Virgin Radio Breakfast Show that the winners of the 500 Words: Black Lives Matter competition will be revealed live on air tomorrow, Friday 17^th July, with winning submissions read out by actors Nicole Kidman and Mark Strong.

The 500 Words: Black Lives Matter competition was launched last month by hosts Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood, issuing a brief to children throughout the UK to submit pieces of creative writing expressing personal experience, empathy, learning and respect, building on the international conversation around Black Lives Matter.

With almost 6,000 submissions from children from all over the UK, each submission was first read by members of national charity The Reading Agency and over 1,000 public judges. Eight finalists’ pieces of creative writing were chosen by the judging panel, including Malorie Blackman OBE, Charlie Higson, Francesca Simon and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, which were then broadcast on the Virgin Radio Breakfast Show with Chris Evans this week. Submissions have been read out by celebrities including David Tennant, Shobna Gulati, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Abbington, Rob Brydon, Stephen Graham and Sanjeev Bhaskar, and these will be made available via Amazon Alexa. Amazon Alexa users will be able to listen to the stories of all eight finalists through the Audible Stories Alexa Skill, by simply asking “Alexa, read me a 500 Words story”.

The eight finalists’ submissions included poetry, re-telling of personal experiences, exploration of historical moments, and fiction each relating to the Black Lives Matter theme. Of the submissions, judge Malorie Blackman OBE said, “The standard and quality of the stories we received was awe-inspiring. They were poignant, moving and some were extremely heartfelt.  My congratulations to all the finalists.”

The finalists’ submissions, which have been shared on the 500 Words website, are:

• “I Feel Out Of Control” by Sara
• “Martin Luther King Had A Dream” by Lani
• “Love Is Colourblind” by Evie
• “Computer Says No” by Eleanor
• “Something You’re Not” by Katherine
• “Kristofer Was Quiet In School Today” by Lucy
• “Grandpa Is” by Emerson
• “Bapa” by Samuel

Read them here: https://500words.me/finalist-stories/

In addition to having their stories made available on Amazon Alexa, all eight finalists are also set to receive a print from illustrator Charlie Mackesy and will be included in a book containing a selection of the 500 Words: Black Lives Matter stories, set to be published by Studio Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK in September. The book is expected to retail at £6.99, and any royalties will be matched by the publisher and donated to children’s literacy and children’s BAME charities.

In the final round, to be announced tomorrow, two submissions will win the title of 500 Words: Black Lives Matter winners, and are set to join a whole host of celebrities on a special winners day starting in the Virgin Radio Breakfast studio.

Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood said, “Being part of 500 Words: BLM has been a whirlwind from start to finish; from getting the competition off the ground in only a few days, to seeing the positive response from young people submitting entries, as well as the general public up and down the country volunteering to be judges, has truly been incredible. By allowing our young people to have a voice and to share their thoughts on this issue we have uncovered some truly talented writers who have produced some outstanding, emotive pieces of work. We have been honoured to be part of it.”

The 500 Words initiative was created by Chris Evans and first launched in 2011, celebrating its 10^th anniversary in June this year. With an extraordinary legacy, and over one million entries submitted to date, Evans joined forces with Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood to launch the most recent edition of the 500 Words initiative, with the theme of Black Lives Matter, as a means to encourage children and families to have positive conversations at home about world issues. Having turned the competition around in less than four weeks, the 500 Words team secured the backing of Virgin Radio and News UK, many of the UK's publishing houses, Amazon Alexa, and a whole host of celebrity supporters from the worlds of entertainment, sport, music and more. With ongoing support from Oxford University Press, The Reading Agency, Parents and Teachers, a new theme will be set for the 500 Words competition in 2021, continuing to provide a creative platform for children to express their voices.

For more information visit: 500Words.me or follow@500words.me on Instagram and@500WordsMe on Twitter.