大象传媒

Breaking down the report

Oxford University Press, one of 500 Words鈥 official partners, have once again released their report into trending words and themes used in submissions for the 2023/24 competition.

The words and themes used in 500 Words stories and reported in this study provide an insight into the thoughts of the next generation of writers. It also shows that every single story entered in 500 Words matters and makes a difference.

We caught up with three of our judges, Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Charlie Higson and Sir Lenny Henry, to explain the findings of the report in a way that is easy for children to digest - take a look!

Lexicographers, researchers and teachers analysed the words used in almost 44,000 submissions received from children aged 5-11 across the UK.

The stories have been incorporated into the Oxford Children鈥檚 Corpus 鈥 a large database of children鈥檚 written language in English. This database contains over half a billion words and aids the OUP鈥檚 wider research.

Each story that will be submitted into the 2024/25 competition will also be used to compile next year's report.

You can read the full report

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The Oxford University Press has been conducting research into words and themes of 500 Words for ten years.
鈥淭his report demonstrates children's鈥痑wareness to the world around them, evident in the significant rise of words related to contemporary conflict and new technologies in this year's 大象传媒 500 Words submissions. Our ongoing collaboration with Oxford University Press is invaluable, providing crucial insights for those in children's education and this partnership is just one of the many reasons why we continue to host the 大象传媒 500 Words competition鈥.鈥 Head of 大象传媒 Education.
Helen Foulkes
Image caption,
The Oxford University Press has been conducting research into words and themes of 500 Words for ten years.

Highlights

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The study reveals an insight into the thoughts and themes of children's stories.
  • Themes of contemporary conflict: there are significant increases in mentions of Gaza (+1914%), Ukraine (+1287), Israel (+758%), and Palestine (+415%), with boys demonstrating a doubled propensity for the use of the word 鈥榳ar鈥 in their narratives than girls鈥.

  • Stories around neurodivergence: children were much more likely to write about neurodivergence in 2023. Autistic (+306%), autism (+67%) and ADHD (+477%) frequently appeared and were often portrayed as a superpower or associated with strength.

  • AI is on children鈥檚 radar: use of the word skyrocketed by 411% since 2020. When mentioned in stories, 鈥楢I鈥 was often referred to as a dangerous entity.

  • A change of context: In previous years, The Lionesses were used in reference to the animal; in 2023, they were in reference to football. The same applies to Barbie (+109%) and TikTok (+22%).

  • Covid is still prevalent: stories from the 2023 competition are the first to demonstrate a lived experience of Covid 鈥 the pandemic is still 鈥渁 reference point for children".

Image caption,
The study reveals an insight into the thoughts and themes of children's stories.
鈥湸笙蟠 500 Words is an extraordinary and wonderful initiative. Oxford University Press has had the privilege of analysing the stories and the ways that children use their words for ten years. The stories they create never fail to surprise, delight, and inform. When a child submits their story to 大象传媒 500 Words, not only are they entering a brilliant creative writing competition, but they are also contributing to learning. Every single story becomes part of an incredible database of children's language (The Oxford Children's Corpus) and this adds to an important body of research that is impactful and long-lasting鈥 Director of Oxford Children鈥檚, Oxford University Press.
Helen Freeman
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What makes a brilliant 500 Words story?

Watch judges Charlie Higson. Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Sir Lenny Henry share what they think makes a brilliant 500 Words story.

What makes a brilliant 500 Words story?