For Our Sisters is an international celebration of lyrical tribute writing, by young women aged 11-16, commissioned by Mulberry Schools Trust for 2026.
We are setting students the challenge to write a tribute to their sister, a sisterly figure, or a sisterhood in their lives, in any written style, and to do so with beauty and power, using a variety of literary techniques.
Applied Stories has created a suite of online tutorial videos (also below) to help students find inspiration, choose a written style and get writing. The videos are supported by a folder of original resources: poetry, worksheets and questionnaires about your sister, for schools to use with a group of their choice at a time which suits them.
Booking is also now open for a 90-minute writing workshop with Applied Stories artistic director Fin Kennedy, free to participating schools! Simply email letters@appliedstories.co.uk to book yours.
Up to sixty winners will have their work immortalised in a new anthology, with five invited to perform their letters live at the 2026 Global Girl Leading conference.
In the previous two years, forty schools and over six hundred students from the UK, Mexico, India, Australia, Nigeria, Kenya and Malaysia made use of the resources we designed, and the opportunity of a workshop with Applied Stories' artistic director Fin Kennedy.
To express your interest in your school taking part please contact us!
PLEASE NOTE: For Our Sisters commences April 2026 with a final submission deadline of Friday 19 June 2026.
Advice from Fin on choosing your written style and arranging your material.
A demonstration of some useful literary techniques and their effects, along with some close textual analysis of some existing poems.
See also:
Analysing Real by Maryam Nasir
Interviews with some inspiring female writers and how they got into it.
Videos referenced:
Sharmila and Yusra:
Where did you grow up and how did it influence you?
Where do you find inspiration?
Erinn Dhesi:
How did writing start for you?
Mel Pennant:
Thinking of taking part? Here are some important documents for teachers - the project timeline, tone and content guidelines, and terms and conditions.
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