Home | Give Nature a Voice Competition

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Watch Chris Packham Launch on Vimeo

What is the ‘Give Nature a Voice’ competition?

Give Nature a Voice is a writing competition from The Natural Curriculum, open to Years 3 – 6 (England/Wales) and P4 – P7 (Scotland/NI).

Pupils will watch a short, stunning BBC nature clip, with no narration, and write a piece that brings the scene to life. It’s a chance to observe closely, think and write creatively and let their words speak for the natural world.

What do children need to do?

Your pupils just need to watch one of the BBC’s captivating natural history clips opposite and use this as the basis for their writing. Make sure you show them the right clip for their year group!

  • Year 3 / P4 – Mandarin ducks and their first flight
  • Year 4 / P5 – Polar bears in their habitat
  • Year 5 / P6 – Elephants looking for water
  • Year 6 / P7 – Emperor penguins

Instructions for Writing

After watching the clip a few times and carefully observing what’s happening, it’s time for the children to bring the footage to life with their words!

The writing should be powerful enough to match the amazing visuals – something that can be read aloud to capture the mood, movement, and magic of the moment.

Writing Ideas

Here are just a few suggestions that the children might want to explore:

  1. Wildlife Narration – Write an exciting  narration in the style of Sir David Attenborough, Chris Packham, Liz Bonnin or Steve Backshall.

  2. Animal Conversation – Create a dialogue between two or more of the animals featured in the clip.

  3. Solo Voice – Write a dramatic monologue from one animal’s point of view as it explores its environment.

  4. Nature Poem – Capture the scene’s action, mood and characters in poetic form.

Submitting Your Class Entries

  • Each class may submit up to 3 entries, created individually or collaboratively.
    Please note: Due to the high volume of expected submissions, entries are limited to three per class. Only the names of the winning schools and classes will be announced, not the names of individual children.
  • Each entry must be fewer than 500 words
  • All entries must be written using the official Give Nature a Voice template:

📄 Click here to download the Give Nature a Voice writing template.

  • To enter, simply upload your 3 entries by Friday 5th December, 2025 using the button below.

🎤You’re also welcome to submit voice recordings of pupils reading their work aloud alongside the clip – we’d love to hear them! However, judging will be based solely on the written entries, not their oracy performance.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES

Judges and Prizes

A panel of expert judges will select four winning classes – one from each year group. Entries will be judged on the quality of the writing, its use of language, and how effectively it captures the imagery and atmosphere of the chosen clip.

Prizes
Winners will be announced early in the new year. Each winning class will receive:

  • £150 prize money

  • Publication of their winning entry on the Natural Curriculum website

The Judges:

  • David Millington – creator of the Natural Curriculum
  • Catherine Barr – children’s author and illustrator
  • Peter Cansell – NAPE information officer, former head teacher, founder of The Oxford School of Thought
  • Helena Djurkovic – CEO of the Educational Recording Agency