The Guardian's Young Country Diary series is open for submissions again. Every three months, the publication invites children aged 8-14 to send in an article about a recent encounter with nature, such as a hedge full of berries, a beetle on the move, or a nervous deer.
Children do not need to be nature experts to take part. The series is especially keen to reach teachers who might like to get their class outside and noticing nature. Any child who has their article published will be paid.
Submission deadline and publication
The deadline for autumn submissions is noon on Monday 2 November. Four entries will be chosen to be published in the newspaper and online, with two appearing in October and two in November. Early submissions received before the 15th stand a chance of being published in October. If not selected, the form will reopen on 1 January for winter submissions, after a break in December.
How children can take part
Children aged 8 to 14 are eligible, with permission from a parent or guardian. The child should go out to a natural place, such as local woods, a beach, a garden, a farm, or the nearest park. They then write an article of 200-250 words describing what they saw and what happened. The article should be sent using the form below, which the parent or guardian should fill in rather than the child.
Photos or drawings are helpful, especially in landscape rather than portrait, but they are not a condition of entry. If available, they should be mentioned in the "more information" field, as there is no way to attach them to the form.
Hints and tips for young writers
Good nature writing starts with the senses, so children should note what they saw, heard, smelled, and touched. Taking notes while out and about helps remember details. Describing what happened and any reminders it brought to mind can add depth. Looking up extra information about what was seen, such as the type of butterfly or how long it lives, is encouraged. Writers can think big and describe the whole scene, including the sky, horizon, and landscape, or think small and focus on details like a butterfly's wings or a beetle's markings. They should also consider what the encounter made them think about and how it made them feel.
Anyone can enter a child aged between 8 and 14 based in the UK. Parents or guardians will be contacted if their child's piece is selected for publication and will be paid on behalf of the child. For inspiration, recent Young Country Diaries include Aled, 8, on an afternoon of crabbing; Jess, 10, on a jellyfish party; and Henry, 14, on a weary wheatear.
AI usage note
The publication wants to hear what the child has to say and how they'd like to say it. Therefore, every sentence must be written by the child, not by large language models such as ChatGPT or Claude. LLMs may be used for research, planning, or checking, though their output should be used with caution and double-checked. The editor of Young Country Diary and Country Diary, Paul, wishes contributors good luck.
The parent or guardian should fill in the form rather than the child. Responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to contributions. A journalist will contact the parent or guardian before publication, so contact details should be provided. The form is for sharing the child's nature diary entry, and contributors must be 18 or over. Responses can be anonymous, and personal data will be deleted when no longer required for the feature.
