Call open: 1 September 2026

Closing date: 7 October 2026

Free Entry

We invite the people of Milton Keynes to submit an original piece of writing on the theme: 

“It takes all of us to make a (world / city / home) where women and girls live in safety.”

Entries can be prose or poetry.

Open to age groups: 

11 to 13

14 to 17

18 to 25 

 26+

Sixteen winners will be selected, and their entries will be published, one a day, during the 16 Days of Activism.

Prizes:  

• A £30 centre:mk Voucher for 5 winners in each category 

• An additional £30 centre:mk Voucher for the overall winner

A selection of submissions will be read by the writers, or actors, on the 25 of November 2026. This day is both the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, and White Ribbon Day and it serves as the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. 

Selected submissions will also be published, either through the medium of print, e-publishing, or video and may be displayed in the centre:mk.