Competitions

Art Competition

Young Reporter Competition

Film Competition

Writing Competition

The Henley Youth Festival is a totally individual event and as far as we know there is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the country!

It is a means of celebrating the talents and achievements of young people in our area and to give them experiences across a wide range of activities that they may not otherwise encounter. We support and promote the performing and visual arts, have some great team and individual sports events and also nurture other skills through workshops and competitions.

The first Henley Youth Festival took place in 1994 and now well over 1,500 young people, ranging from under 5’s to 18 year olds, take part each year in about 35 different events and activities. The Festival itself takes place over a couple of weeks every March and many participants are busy preparing well in advance!

Art Competition

Create a piece of art that reflects the 2025 theme: Growing Paint, draw, photograph, make a collage, and sculpt in paper, clay, wood or any other medium. Mix your media if you wish. Think big – or small – or somewhere in between, (but ideally no bigger than 1m x 1m). Work on your own, or in a group.

Entries will be judged on imagination, creativity, innovation and interpretation of the theme and will be adjudicated by professional artists.

You are eligible to enter if you attend/live in the catchment area for one of the following participating schools: Badgemore, Bishopswood, Gillotts, Kidmore End, Nettlebed, Peppard, Sacred Heart, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Trinity, Valley Road OR if you attend Henley College, Shiplake College, Chiltern Edge, Rupert House or St Mary's. If you have recently moved to a school that is not on the list but have previously taken part in HYF please contact Charlene Brown on 07803 612175.

Age Categories

There are currently 3 categories:

Infant (up to age 6 years - art only)
Junior (age 7 - 11)
Senior (age 12 - 18)
plus Collaborative (ie Art clubs and other groups)

Prize Giving

Prizes will be awarded at an “invite only” presentation, Saturday 15 March 2025.

Click here or email artcompetitionhyf@gmail.com to contact the event organiser putting Art Competition in the subject line.

Film Competition

The 2025 Henley Youth Festival Film Competition is now open for entries for all you aspiring filmmakers. We are inviting you to make a Film or Animation (any length you like up to a max of 3 minutes). We would encourage you to interpret the HYF theme into your film. This year’s theme is "Growing"*

*Entries will be judged on imagination, creativity, innovation. We will judge the film on its own merits, the HYF theme is not essential.

Age Categories

There are currently 2 categories:

Junior (age 7 - 11)
Senior (age 12 - 18)

Please download and carefully read the guidelines and rules before completing the online entry form and consent form. Forms available to download here.

Prize Giving

Prizes will be awarded at an “invite only” presentation on Saturday 15 March 2025 in the Town Hall, Henley. Closing date for competition entries: Tuesday 25 February 2025.

Click here or email artcompetitionhyf@gmail.com to contact the event organiser putting Film Competition in the subject line.

Writing Competition

The HYF Writing Competition is for young people who love words. We'd like you to write about the HYF theme in any style you like: a short story; a poem; a play; a blog; song lyrics; a script or maybe a report.

We are celebrating ‘Growing’ as our theme for 2025. You can write a thrilling story, a short play, a poem, or a blog! Explore your own or a character’s experience of my favourite things and what it means to them or you. There is no limit to where your imagination will take you.

Age Categories

All entries should be a maximum of 500 words except a short story, which can be 750.

Group 1: School years 1 – 3

Group 2: School years 4 – 5

Group 3: School years 6 - 13

Prize Giving

Prizewinners will be invited to attend the Writing Competition Prizegiving in a location to be confirmed.

Prizes for the Writing Competition are kindly donated by the Bell Street Bookshop

To enter go to Entry forms page here.

Closing date for competition entries: 25 February 2025

To contact the event organiser HERE

Young Reporter Competition

The Henley Standard and Henley Youth Festival are teaming up once again to invite all young writers and aspiring journalists who live or go to school in Henley or the surrounding villages to enter the Young Reporter competition.

This is a great opportunity for any young person who enjoys writing or is perhaps thinking about a career in journalism.

Lily Mir, who reported last year on the Gig Night, says: "Thank you for the chance to have my article published in the Henley Standard. I really enjoyed watching all the performances and interviewing people. I was nervous at the start, but everyone was friendly and easy to talk to. It was a really lovely opportunity."

All you have to do to enter the competition is submit a piece of your own work of between 100 and 500 words. This could be a piece of homework, some creative writing, a book review or a report on an event. It can be something you have already written.

How to enter

Please supply your name, school year and age, and contact details of your parent or guardian, including a telephone number and/or email and the name of your school.

Open to ages 11 -18

No entry form required.

Please email it to Henley Standard editor Phil Simms at psimms@henleystandard.co.uk and Siobhan Pratt, of the Henley Youth Festival, at siobhanpratt@yahoo.co.uk

Closing date for submissions is 25 February 2025. The winners will be announced by Friday 28 February 2025.

Art Competition

Film Competition

Writing Competition

Young Reporter Competition