Once again, the Young Country Diary series is open for submissions! Every three months we ask you to send us an article written by a child aged 8-14.

The article needs to be about a recent encounter they’ve had with nature – whether it’s a hedge full of berries, a beetle on the move, or a nervous deer.

It doesn’t matter if the child is a nature expert or not – we’re especially keen to reach teachers who might like to get their class outside and noticing nature. And note that any child who has their article published will be paid!

The deadline for autumn submissions is noon on Monday 2 November.

Four of the entries will be chosen to be published in the newspaper and online – two each in October and November. (Note that any early birds who submit a piece before the 15th stand a chance of being published in October.) If you don’t get selected this time, don’t worry, the form will reopen on 1 January for winter submissions, after it takes a break in December.

Young Country Diary writer Aphra looking through her binoculars

How your child can take part

First of all, we’re looking for children age 8 to 14, so we will need your permission, as parent or guardian. Then here’s what the child needs to do:

Step 1 – Go out one day to where there is some nature. It could be their local woods or beach, their garden, a farm, or simply the nearest park.

Step 2 – Write an article of 200-250 words telling us what they saw and what happened.

Step 3 – Send the article to us using the form below. We ask that you fill in the form yourself rather than the child.

Photos/drawings – These are helpful (especially landscape rather than portrait) but they are not a condition of entry. If you have some, please tell us in the “more information” field, as there’s no way to attach them to the form.

Hints and tips for any budding YCD writers

If the child gets stuck and doesn’t know what to write about, here are a few pointers:

Good nature writing starts with the senses – so what did you see and hear? What about smell and touch? Take notes when you’re out and about so you don’t forget

How would you describe what happened? Did it remind you of anything?

It’s great to look up some extra information about what you saw, and tell us about that too. For example, if you find an interesting-looking bug, see if you can find out what type of butterfly it was, how long they live – any juicy details!

You can think big, and describe the whole scene – the sky, the horizon, the landscape. Or you can think small, and tell us some details about the butterfly’s wings or the beetle’s markings.

What did your encounter with nature make you think about? How did it make you feel?

Young Country Diary writer Henry birdwatching on Dartmoor. Photograph: Family handout

Anyone can enter their child who is aged between 8 and 14 and based in the UK. You the parent/guardian will be contacted if your child’s piece is selected for publication, and you will be paid on behalf of the child.

For further inspiration, here are a few recent Young Country Diaries:
Aled, 8, on his afternoon of crabbing
Jess, 10, on the jellyfish party
Henry, 14, on a weary wheatear

A note on AI usage

We’d love to hear what your child has to say, and how they’d like to say it. For that reason, we ask that every sentence is written by the child, not by LLMs 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.

Many thanks, and good luck!

Paul, editor of Young Country Diary and Country Diary

We ask that the parent/guardian fills in the form below, rather than your child. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact with you, as parent or guardian, before we publish, so please do leave contact details.

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