Celebrating International School Library month with a school library competition

International School Library Month (ISLM) takes place annually during the month of October, so the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is celebrating with a School Library Competition, where learners can win R30 000 for their school to spend on library resources!

Reading and writing are crucial skills that must be mastered if our learners are to succeed in their school career and beyond, and having access to library resources at schools can make a real difference in improving learning outcomes.

The theme for this year’s competition is “Adventures live in my library!” and we are asking learners to tell us about an adventure they could find in their library, and how winning school library resources would lead to more library adventures.

The competition, which is run with the support of our department’s Education Library and Information Services (EDULIS), encourages learners to either write a short story, or create a drawing or poster, depending on the grade they are in.

Learners in Grades 4 to 12 can enter the Short Story category, with prizes awarded to three high schools with the winning entries in English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa, and three primary schools with the winning entries in English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa.

Learners in Grades 1 to 3 can enter the Poster or Drawing competition, with prizes awarded to three primary schools with the winning entries in English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa.

One special school will receive a prize for the winning entry for either a short story or a poster or drawing.

That’s a total of R300 000 in prizes, to be spent on school library resources!

A minute with all the details on how to apply has been sent to all schools. Entries close on Friday, 13 December 2024, so we encourage all learners to speak to their school about how to enter!

See last year’s winners here:

https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/news/world-book-day-winners-2023-school-library-competition-announced