Surrey is home to some of our nation’s most beautiful waterways – hosting an abundance of wildlife and steeped with human history. To celebrate and help conserve our waterways, we are creating a special children’s book with author Lucy Reynolds, illustrator Katie Hickey, and a group of budding young book creators from a local primary school.
You also have the chance to be part of this exciting project! We are asking children all across Surrey to help us design the endpapers that will go inside the cover of the book. Read on to find out more about how to be involved…
What is this competition?
We are running a children’s design competition to help create the endpapers for A Raindrop Falls children’s book, which is being created to celebrate Surrey’s precious waterways.
This book will be on sale through all good bookshops and distributed to schools and libraries across Surrey. It is being developed as a creative collaboration between Lucy Reynolds, author; Katie Hickey, illustrator; the Surrey Hills Society; the Guildford Book Festival; Surrey National Landscapes; Zero Carbon Guildford; the River Wey Trust; Juniper Hall Field Studies Centre; Surrey County Council; and St Mark and All Saints CofE Primary School, Godalming.
What are endpapers?
Endpapers are the pages that you find inside the front and back covers of a book. These are often beautifully designed and are a very important part of the overall look and feel of a book.
Here are some examples:
Who can take part in the competition?
Any child living in Surrey aged between 4 and 11.
Are there any age categories?
There are two age categories for the competition:
● Key Stage 1 (age 4 to 6)
● Key Stage 2 (age 7 to 11)
What is the competition brief?
We would like you to design the endpapers for A Raindrop Falls children’s book.
Your design theme is: ‘RIVERS & RAINDROPS’
You can use any medium you wish – paint, pencils, chalk, oils, pastels
You can include textures from nature if you wish, such as rubbings or collage.
We will be looking for designs that are:
● Beautiful
● Informative
● Themed around rain, rivers and waterways
● Themed around nature
● Themed around why river habitats are special
When is the deadline?
Wednesday 10th September 2025
How do I apply?
● Collect an application form from your school, local library or download here
● Create your design using the template, keeping within the border
● Add your name, age and contact details to the form
- Post your form back to us at: River Book Competition, 22 Eashing Lane, Godalming, GU7 2JE.
- All entries must be received by the deadline for consideration in the competition.
- Alternatively, if your school or library is happy to collect entries, we can then arrange collection from them if they send us an email in advance of the closing date to info@surreyhillssociety.org.
- NB The competition organisers reserve the right to digitally edit artwork prior to printing.
What is the prize?
We will have a first prize and runners-up prizes for each age group.
The first prize winners will have their designs printed within the endpapers of A Raindrop Falls book, and receive a signed copy of the book.
A shortlist for each category will also receive a free copy of the book.
Prizes will presented at a special prize-giving event at the Guildford Book Festival in November.
How will I know if I have won?
Please ensure that you have provided a grown up’s email for each application. Winners and runners up will be notified by email by the middle of October. If you haven’t heard from us by then, please do assume that you have not been lucky this time, but thank you very much for taking part!
Will I get my design back?
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to return competition entries. If your design is very precious to you, please do photocopy it before you submit it.
Who do I contact for help?
For any questions, please contact info@surreyhillssociety.org For full competition terms and conditions, please click here
