A SOUTH West children’s author is calling on budding young authors in the Post area to get their literary careers in top gear, and ‘express’ themselves in an all-new national writing competition.

Writer, Huw Powell, has been chosen by National Express to launch its ‘Express Yourself’ short story competition, launched in celebration of the coach company’s new onboard entertainment system, VUER — View, Unwind, Enjoy, Relax.

Huw is joining the UK’s largest coach operator in a call for children aged seven to 16 to get creative and submit short stories, inspired by the theme of ‘happy travelling’.

Youngsters are invited to let their creative juices run riot and submit original travel tales. Inspiration can come from anywhere — be it their own real-life experiences, or something from the depths of their imaginations.

Winning stories will then be published in an online storybook in ‘VUER’, for passengers to enjoy as they travel. Each winner will also get a £50 cheque as prize money.

Launching on services in the South West, VUER is the UK’s first coach ‘infotainment’ — news and entertainment system — a complimentary service offering films, TV and magazines, entirely free of charge.

The app — allowing customers to enjoy hours of free entertainment, as well as news, weather and journey updates, plus free wifi on their own devices from the comfort of their seat — affords the ideal platform to enable children to get creative and have their stories seen by millions.

Huw, who is well known for his ‘Spacejackers’ book series, will be judging entries from the South West. He encourages local children to get involved, and said: “This competition is all about journeys and travelling, as the people reading it are going to be coach passengers, but the journey you write about can be fictional or real.

“I’d love every child to have a go — it doesn’t matter if you think you’re not a writer; everyone has a story. Writing is one of the best ways of expressing your ideas, unlocking your creative side, and this is a great opportunity to share it. Good luck!”

Tom Stables, managing director of National Express UK Coach, said: “Every year, we take millions of people on a journey. Now, to celebrate VUER, we are turning the tables and asking youngsters to take us on a journey.

“Express Yourself’ is a really unique opportunity for budding young authors to get their literary careers in top gear, and we’re looking for really inspiring stories to delight our customers. We can’t wait to start receiving the entries.”

To take advantage of VUER, customers simply need to download the app from the Apple of Android app store on their phone or tablet before they get onboard, to access the content, which is then streamed over wifi during the journey.

Entrants should write a story of up to, but no more than, 1,000 words, and have until December 31 to submit it to [email protected].

Alternatively, children can post stories to The Story Team, National Express House, Mill Lane, Birmingham, B5 6DD.