Treasure in Plain Sight – Community Writing Invitation

Valley Arts, in partnership with South West Heritage Trust, is collecting a new kind of hoard for the Chew Valley Hoard Project: a hoard of stories, poems and memories.

Inspired by the silver coins buried in a Chew Valley field nearly a thousand years ago, we’re asking:

What are the treasures in your life that might look ordinary to others, but mean everything to you?

Your treasure might be an object you keep on a shelf, a place you return to, a person you love, or a memory you never want to lose. It might be worth almost nothing in money – but everything to you. What makes it so important? What does it say about what you value, and about your community?

Who Can Enter

Open to all ages. (Entrants under 16 will need a parent or guardian contact on their entry).
You do not need to live in the Chew Valley, but we are especially keen to hear from
people who have a connection to the area.

What We’re Looking For

We are especially interested in writing that:

Explores non-monetary value: love, care, memory, tradition, identity, time or skills, especially where those things might seem “ordinary” or under‑appreciated.
Has a sense of mystery or discovery – something buried, hidden, or slowly
revealed.
Is grounded in place: the Chew Valley, Somerset, or another landscape that
matters to you.
Treasure in Plain Sight – the objects, places, people or memories that feel priceless, and what they reveal about your values, your life, or the Chew Valley.

What You Can Submit

Please submit your work , choosing one of the following formats:

Short, poem up to 40 lines
Short Memory/Story up to 250 words
Mid Memory/Story up to 450 words
Longform up to 900 words

Pieces should be original, previously unpublished, and suitable for live performance or print and publication as part of the Chew Valley Hoard Project. Winning entrants will have their works performed by actors in Yeo Valley Organic Gardens at the live performances of Finders Keepers on the 18th & 19th July.

Optional Prompts

You can use these prompts if helpful, or ignore them and respond to the theme in your own way.

Buried Secrets – Think of something that feels like treasure to you. Imagine you had to bury it in a field, like the Chew Valley Hoard, for someone to dig up in 1,000 years. What would they learn about you when they found it?
The things we carry – Write about something you have chosen to keep or return to over time – an object, relationship, tradition, or moment that has stayed with you, even if it looks ordinary or unimportant from the outside.
How did it become your “treasure”? – What does it say about your values, your history, or this community?
Walking the Same Ground – Metal detectorists often describe the feeling of walking across landscapes where generations of people have lived, worked, lost things, and left traces behind. Write about a place that connects you to other people across time — and what that connection means to
you.

How to Submit

Email your entry as a Word document or PDF to: aled.hanson@valley-arts.co.uk

Use the subject line: Treasure in Plain Sight – Entry

On the first page of your document, include:

Your name
Your age or age bracket (for example: Under 11, 11–15, 16–25, 26+)
The title of your piece
Contact email and phone number
For entrants under 16, a parent or guardian contact

Key Dates

Opening date: May 18th
Deadline for entries: June 20th
Writers contacted by: June 26th

What Will Happen to Your Writing

Selected winning entries will:

Be displayed as part of the wider Chew Valley Hoard Project, alongside other
community-made work.
Be commemorated at the Finders Keepers event, for example through readings performed by the Finders Keepers company or writings displayed at the event in audio or visual formats at Yeo Valley Organic Garden.
Subject to permissions, selected pieces may also be shared on Valley Arts media channels as part of the project.

There is no entry fee. This competition is part of the free community programme created around the Chew Valley Hoard.