Having kids changes everything – dare we say it, for better or for worse. We want you to channel that roller-coaster of emotions in a short piece of writing, no more than 2,000 words long, on the theme of ‘parenthood’. It could be a short-story, an essay, a poem, a rant… Your piece can take any written form you like, as long as it is in English.  

The competition, which launches today, will be judged by Screen International film critic Wendy Ide, former Dazed & Confused Editor-in-Chief Tim Noakes, and Motherland founder Charlotte Philby.

The competition is open to both women and men – so please email your entries to creates@motherland.net by 10 April 2016, and we will announce the winners on Friday 6 May 2016.

FIRST PRIZE
A week-long postnatal retreat for yourself, your partner, your baby (aged 18 months or under), and toddler (aged 5 or under), at Manoir La Croix de La Jugi – which was named as one of the Top Holidays in France 2016 by The Times – on a date of your choosing, courtesy of andbreathepostnatal.com.

The lucky winner of this extraordinary prize, worth £1,500, will also receive £150 from us towards the cost of travel.

OR:

£200: If you don’t have a baby aged 18-months or under, we’d be happy to substitute this prize with £200 cash.

 

SECOND PRIZE
A special edition Donna Wilson Armadillo City pushchair from Mamas & Papas. Suitable from birth, and incredibly pretty…

THIRD PRIZE
A £175 voucher to spend at the Motherland Store, and a silicon teething necklace with matching bangles from Lara & Ollie.

Tim Noakes is a creative consultant and writer. From 2012 to 2016 he was Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Director of Dazed & Confused magazine, and has interviewed everyone from Beyoncé to David Lynch. He has two children.

 

Wendy Ide is a film critic for Screen International and The Guardian. A former writer and critic at The Times, she has judged a number of high-profile awards and worked as a programmer of the short film strand of the BFI London Film Festival. She has one son.

Charlotte Philby is founder of Motherland and an award-winning journalist. She worked as a writer and editor at The Independent for eight years, as well as organisations including The Guardian, Channel 4 and BBC. She is currently writing her first novel, and has three children.