Hi Teachers & Principals,
We’re absolutely delighted to invite your 5th & 6th class students to join our Writing Competition for the upcoming SPACEFest. Detailed rules for the competition are included in the PDF.
The first prize for the competition is a 11inch android tablet complete with keyboard, mouse and protective case, which will make a fantastic writing and school companion to help the winner to the next years in Primary and Junior Cycle.
Here is an overview of the competition, but please see more details in the PDF and share around!
🙋 WHO CAN ENTER?
This competition is open to 5th and 6th class students from schools participating in the Try Five+ Project. Students must write their own stories, with one entry per person. Stories must be original and fictional. No group entries or help from AI tools is allowed. Stories are submitted via an online form.
🖋WHAT TO WRITE
Students must write a short story (up to 500 words) inspired by one of the three themes below (whichever they chose!) The story must be written in English. See prompts and more support in PDF.
🛰 Option 1: “A Broadcast from the Station”
Imagine that you are a young scientist who has spent your whole life aboard a lonely space station. Earth was abandoned years ago, and you’ve never set foot on it. But today, you decide to send a radio message back to Earth—just in case anyone is listening!
In your message, you can share what you’ve learned in space, what you’ve read about the old Earth, and what you wish humans had done differently. You wonder: Could Earth still be saved? What should children growing up now remember to care about?
📡 Option 2: “A radio message from Another Earth”
You’ve received a mysterious radio message — from a kid scientist in another world that sounds eerily like ours… but a world that was destroyed. This kid has only known life in space and is asking you: What is your Earth like? Do you still have trees? Clean air? Laughter?
Imagine what you would answer in your reply. Would you want to tell them the truth, the good and the bad? You can describe what you love about Earth, but also what scares you. Do you wonder—are we heading down the same path as their world?
🌕Option 3: “Life on the Base”
Imagine that you are a young scientist living in a Moon base, a Mars base, or an orbiting space station. You’re helping with very important research — but some days, you look at the blue orb of our planet and miss Earth… You send diary entries via radio about what life is like on the base so others can remember it/know about it. Think about what you would be communicating… your daily routine, what space is like, and the little things you love, but also the ones you miss—like rain, grass, or your pet dog? You also realize there are things you do love about your life in space – it could be silence, discovery, teamwork, stars that never set…
💻HOW TO ENTER AND SUBMIT
The entry story must be typed and pasted into a Microsoft Forms submission. It should be submitted by a parent, guardian, or teacher using the official Microsoft Forms link below:
Https://forms.office.com/e/dHkMjvJ0nz?origin=lprLink (Or you can scan the QR code in the PDF)
If a teacher submits the story, they must first get parental or guardian permission to do so.
One overall winner will receive a tablet! Special recognition prizes are also waiting for you… Selected stories may be Printed or published, Recorded or read aloud, and Displayed at TU Dublin events or online.
More details about the event are in the PDF attached, including writing PROMPT, PERMISSION & CONSENT, JUDGING CRITERIA, etc. If you have any questions or need more support, please feel free to email Ana at ana.canizares@tudublin.ie
NOTE: SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE HAS PASSED. WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS ANYMORE. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU ORGANISING A LOCAL SPACEFEST AT YOUR INSTITUTION.