The Queen and Paddington Bear shared a light-hearted moment at a Windsor Castle reception for the BBC 500 Words final, with Paddington jokingly offering marmalade sandwiches to the children.

Camilla presented medals to the young finalists, as the winners are set to be announced on a BBC The One Show episode on March 6.

Finalists’ stories are now available to read on the BBC 500 Words website, and all winning stories will be illustrated and published in a BBC 500 Words winners’ book by Oxford University Press with multiple illustrators contributing.

The final featured performances by Paddington The Musical on the West End and by a lineup of West End and TV personalities, including Joanna Page, Paterson Joseph, Big Zuu, Bradley and Barney Walsh, Jodie Whittaker, and DJ Sara Cox.

The event was attended by numerous celebrities and judges, such as Sir Lenny Henry, Malorie Blackman, and Rose Ayling-Ellis, with the six winning entries read aloud by notable presenters like Jodie Whittaker, Joanna Page, Sara Cox, Bradley and Barney Walsh, Big Zuu, and Paterson Joseph, hosted by Alex Jones and Roman Kemp.

The coverage notes a broader literacy context, underscoring declines in reading for pleasure while highlighting the Queen and judges’ commitment to promoting children’s literacy and storytelling.

Winners were recognized in two age categories—five to seven and eight to eleven—with gold, silver, and bronze prizes, reflecting ongoing efforts to promote literacy and storytelling among children.

BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds are airing related content, including a World Book Day special hosted by Sara Cox and a BBC 500 Words special, in early March 2026.

Partners for 500 Words include Beano, EFL in the Community, Libraries Connected, National Book Tokens, National Literacy Trust, Oxford University Press, Pobble, Premier League Primary Stars, Publishers Association, The Reading Agency, World Book Day, Crayola, and others.

The event was framed as a celebration of reading and storytelling, aimed at bringing people together through stories.

Sir Lenny Henry and Malorie Blackman praised the finalists’ talent and ambition, emphasizing how writing can inspire young people and address reading for pleasure post-Covid.

Queen Camilla has supported 500 Words for over a decade, and the competition has attracted more than a million submissions since its 2011 launch by Chris Evans, with judges including Sir Lenny Henry, Malorie Blackman, and Rose Ayling-Ellis.