Competitions

  • The Great Debate 2026

    News Item

    The Historical Association is delighted to announce Rayburn Tours as the official sponsor of the Great Debate 2026. Find out more What is the Great Debate? The Great Debate is a public speaking competition where students have 5 minutes to present their speech arguing their answer to the question. Over the past couple of...

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  • Write Your Own Historical Fiction 2025 – The winners

    12th September 2025

    Take time, a place and a character or two, and you can create some of the most exciting stories ever told – and by telling a story you unleash a desire to seek knowledge, to entertain, to inform and to enrich the lives of others. Storytelling is one of the oldest...

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  • Young Historian Awards 2026 – take part (Secondary prizes)

    10th September 2025

    The 2026 competition is now open. Entries close on 17 July 2026 (3 July for overseas entries). Researching, writing and presenting ideas about a historical theme or period is one of the best parts about studying history. We want young school and college aged students to get the bug for...

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  • Young Historian Awards 2025 – the winners

    4th September 2025

    Spirit of Normandy Trust SeniorAvani De Santis [Guildford Grammar School, Western Australia]Kyle Luk [Loughborough Grammar School] Caspar Wright [Wells Cathedral School] Spirit of Normandy Trust Key Stage 3 Anne Andrews [St Mary’s Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy, Leeds]Rafferty Ludlow-Maisey [Crypt Grammar School, Gloucester]Robert Moczynski [Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield] Spirit of...

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  • Young Quills 2025 – the winners

    4th July 2025

    Each year, the Historical Association runs the Young Quills, a competition for published historical fiction for children and young adults (14+). The Young Quills books for each year must be published for the first time in English in the year preceding the competition – so 2024 for this year’s selection....

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  • Young Quills reviews 2025

    Multipage Article

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  • Write Your Own Historical Fiction Competition 2025

    11th December 2024

    Entries for this year's competition are now closed. The winners will be posted on this website in September/October. Next year's competition will open at the end of 2025. Each year we are so impressed by the ever increasing number and standard of entries we receive around such a wide range of...

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  • Young Historian Awards 2024 – the winners

    16th September 2024

    Spirit of Normandy Trust Senior Vivaan Davda – The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai Spirit of Normandy Trust Key Stage 3 Joshua Broadbent – Royal Grammar School, Guildford Spirit of Normandy Trust Primary Salisbury Cathedral School Best School History Magazine [sponsored by the Mid-Trent and Mercia Branch] St Alban’s School Stockport...

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  • Young Quills winners 2024

    11th July 2024

    The Young Quills winners and highly commended have been announced for his year. This competition for historical fiction for children is a way of celebrating and recognising those authors who are continuing the long tradition of creative writing about the past for children. All of the books are reviewed by...

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  • Young Quills winners 2023

    14th July 2023

    It is with great pleasure that the HA is able to announce the winners of the Young Quills for Historical Fiction for 2023: Young readers category Winner: Tony Bradman for Bruno and Frida (Barrington Stoke)Highly Commended: Judith Eagle for Accidental Stowaway (Faber) Intermediate category Winner: Tom Palmer for Resist (Barrington...

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