Judging
We publish this in full because you should know exactly what a story is measured against before your child sits down to write.
Every entry is scored against four criteria, weighted equally at 25 percent each.
Does it sound like a real child wrote it? We would much rather read a story that sounds like a nine year old than one that sounds like a nine year old imitating an adult.
Something has to happen, and it has to matter to somebody. A beginning, a middle, and an ending that earns itself.
The specific beats the general, every time. "Grandma's kitchen smelled like burnt star anise" beats "Grandma's kitchen smelled nice."
Clear sentences. Spelling and grammar appropriate to the age band. We are generous here for younger writers and firmer for older ones.
Handwriting, typing, formatting, or how much help a parent gave with the spelling. We score the story, not the presentation of it.
Stories are judged within age bands, so a young writer is never measured against an older one. Age is taken as of the closing date.
| Band | Age | Word count | Selected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Table | Under 9 | 300–600 words | 3 |
| Middle Table | 9–11 | 500–900 words | 3 |
| Long Table | 12–14 | 700–1,200 words | 3 |
If a story sits a little outside its band's range, still enter it. We only turn a story away if it is far outside the range, not simply short or long.
One story is chosen as the best of the entire round, from any band. It opens the anthology, ahead of the age bands, and its writer receives two extra paperback copies to give away. This is a tenth selection, judged first and separately from the nine band places, so no child appears twice in the book.
Every entry is read in full by our editorial panel and scored against the four criteria above. The Kitchen Table Prize is judged first, across the whole field. That story is then set aside, and three stories are chosen from each remaining age band. This order means ten distinct writers appear in the final book, never the same child twice.
The final ten are chosen by that round's judging panel: Kevin Tan, author of Fine... I'll Do It, and two guest judges who change each round. You can meet the panel here. We do not enter into correspondence about individual scores, though every entrant receives a personal result, and selected entrants receive a short written note on their story.
Stories must be the child's own work. We are not running detection software, and we are not going to accuse anyone of anything. But the entire point of this competition is a child's own voice, and a tool cannot give you that on their behalf. Please do not use one.
Entries close 11:59pm Sunday 4 October 2026, the end of the spring school holidays. Every story is read across the first week of Term 4. Results are announced Monday 12 October 2026, one week into term, and emailed to every parent who entered, whether or not their child was selected.
Last updated 24 August 2026.
← Back to The Kitchen Table Book