I've Got Something to Say- Complaint Competition

Tips and ideas to get you started are below!

The prompt: I’ve Got Something to Say! COMPLAINT COMPETITION

Reflecting on how we feel about something, positively or negatively, can be a starting point for making change happen. Your challenge is to take a stance on a topic and write a letter of complaint.

It can be an imaginary or real problem and from the point of view of anything or

anyone.

You have up to 300 words to be clear about the problem and a solution in your complaint.

The entry form and terms and conditions are here

The age categories are Year 4-6, Year 7-9 and Year 10-13.

Two winners in each age group will receive a $30 Scorpio Books Voucher.

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2026

Many thanks to Telling Tales: Scorpio Children’s Books for their generosity in assisting with prizes for this competition.

Tips and ideas to get you started

This competition prompt is pretty open to anything you'd like to say about yourself, someone else, or even something else!

You get to complain, protest, moan, gripe, grouse or air a grievance, but there is also a challenge to voice a solution to this problem and to do it using ALL of your writing skills. Your writing should also be clear and engaging!

So what is the problem you'd like to write about?

Make a list of things that bug you, big or small.

Now look about and see if things are an annoyance to other people around you?

Think who else might have something to complain about: an animal, your feet, a toothbrush, a drooping potplant ..

Okay, that's a LOT of problems! To get your writing flowing, here's a fastwrite.

Fastwrite Rant 3, 2, 1

Choose one idea for a fast writing warm-up to get something off your chest:

Set a timer:

For 3 minutes: write your rant/ complaint/ moan. Get it all down fast! State the problem and how it affects you or others.

For 2 minutes: see if you can suggest a solution to the issue

For 1 minute: add anything else that you've just thought of.

I hope that felt good! Putting things on the page helps us clarify our thinking.

Once you have chosen your topic, you have a few more choices to make.

VOICE: Whose point of view are you writing from? If it is your own, then use your voice. If it is something else, then you will need to adjust the voice to suit — this may affect word choices and tone.

STRUCTURE: You have choices about how to structure this, using any writing techniques you enjoy, but it needs to be in the form of a letter. You will need to address the recipient. You will also need to follow a pattern in which you outline the problem, offer a solution, make your points clear, and then sign off in some way.

Write your first draft. Test it out by reading it aloud.

Have you made your point clearly?

Maybe you need to add something.

Maybe you have let the rant take over and said the same thing over and over, so you can start subtracting some words or sentences.

Do your sentences work and follow a logical sequence? Maybe you need to rearrange or reorder some parts?

Is your writing engaging?

Think about all the cool writing features you know that might help.

A really fresh simile could add something to make a point.

Choose words for their impact - focus on the nouns and verbs and be careful about overusing adjectives and adverbs.

Final Polish

Give your work a title, check the word count and read the terms and conditions about how to present your work for submission.

The entry form and terms and conditions are here

We look forward to a great variety of complaint writing!

(c) Write On 2026