Book Week 2017 – Competition Ideas

Book Week is the perfect time to encourage readers to engage with libraries. I have found that running competitions is a great way to connect with students. Here are a few competitions ideas that can also be used to tie in with this year’s theme, Escape To Everywhere.

CBCA Shortlist Winner Guessing Competition

Who will win Book of the Year? The CBCA Shortlist can be found on their website. Every year during Book Week, our library displays the Short-listed books and encourages students to guess which book will win in each category. I simply added a picture of each cover into a Word document to create an entry form. Students circle the book they think will win. Alternatively, you could create a point-counting systems with stickers or counters.

Bookmark Design Competition

Students are encouraged to design a bookmark that ties into the Book Week theme. The winning designs are then reproduced and shared with other readers.

Library Hunt

A literary scavenger hunt. Ten clues are compiled that relate to the Book Week theme, book quote posters and current library displays. Students then hunt around the library to find the answers. Examples of questions for this year include…

  • Complete the quote by J.K Rowling. ““I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very______ can happen when you read a good book.”
  • Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund escape to Narnia through what? ____________________

What’s Your Teacher Reading

There are many variations for ‘Teachers Read Too’ displays, from matching staff selfies to shelfies, to taking photos of teachers hiding behind the cover of their favourite book. You could also add information about what they are going to read next, their favourite childhood book, favourite place to read, or their favourite reading escape and then have students guess the correct teacher from a clue sheet.

Writing Competitions

Short stories, jokes, one sentence stories, poetry, memes, and first chapters all make excellent categories for writing competitions. The Book Week theme can also be used as the inspiration for the writing competition.

Extreme or Unusual Reading Photo Competition

ForReadingAddicts recently shared some fantastic Extreme reading photos. This makes a fantastic group competition, especially for older students. Photoshop allowed.