"What Does Family Mean To You?" competition

Over the last 50 years, family shape has changed a lot. Now when people talk about their family, they could be referring to their biological or adopted family, a nuclear or blended family, their friends, their community or even their fur babies! For ‘Friends and Family’ month this August, Hertfordshire Year of Culture 2020’s latest competition asks residents to share what family means to them in no more than 500 words. As August is traditionally Herts Pride, entries from the LGBTQ+ community on their experiences of family will be particularly welcomed.

Entries will be considered by a panel of judges including award winning scriptwriter and broadcaster Nicholas McInerny, who was born in Hertfordshire. The winning entry will then be turned into a short animated film which will be published on to the community archive website, Herts Memories and become part of Hertfordshire’s local history record.
Hilary Shade, Chair of the Hertfordshire Association of Cultural Officers, who are leading on the HYOC2020 campaign said “The importance of family, whatever that means to us as individuals, has been highlighted over the last few months as we’ve been unable to see our loved ones face to face.

“We want to hear about your experiences of family – that could be new relationships that have developed as a result of the pandemic, what it’s like to be part of your family or memories and experiences from your own past.

“We know that not all families are made up of blood relatives and are particularly keen to hear about these, to capture the reality and diversity of family experiences from across the county”.

Entries can be in the form of short stories, poems, diary entries or any other form of creative writing and should be submitted to hyoc2020@hertsmere.gov.uk by 31 August.
There is no age restrictions for entrants and the competition is open to anyone living or working in Hertfordshire.

The competition will form part of a wider celebration of creativity under the banner of Friends and Families for the duration of August for HYOC2020.