The Quest: Loch Ness Short Story Competition – Second Place Announcement!

As part of The Quest Weekend celebrations, The Loch Ness Centre invited local primary schools to take on a very special challenge: The Quest: Loch Ness Short Story Competition. We asked P4 classes (or multi-composite classes) to unleash their imaginations and create a collaborative story all about our mysterious loch and its most elusive resident—Nessie.

We were absolutely thrilled to receive five brilliant entries from local schools: Balnain, Dochgarroch, Farr, and two entries from Cannich Bridge Primary. Each story was full of creativity, colour, and care—and we were genuinely blown away by the thought and imagination poured into every one.

The competition was judged by Alison Skelton, a local author, who shared these lovely words:

“All the stories were so good that it really was very difficult to choose a winner. Although they were very different, common themes were shared—the importance of friendship and caring for others, and the desire to protect the environment and keep Nessie safe from harm.

I loved the idea of Nessie being protected by law—she is, by the way, thanks to a 1970s Act of Parliament that protects wildlife.

I was especially touched by the awareness shown around topics like poverty, with one story featuring ‘Old Man Stuart’ living in a tent on the lochside—aged 50 (I love it!).

These children are not only wonderful writers, but thoughtful, kind young people. They are a credit to their families, teachers and to themselves.”

We’re delighted to announce that second place goes to:

🎉 Balnain Primary School – who have won a class tour of The Loch Ness Centre! 🏆

Here is their story:

All participating classes will receive a certificate to celebrate their fantastic storytelling efforts.

We were so impressed by the entries that we’ll be sharing one story each week over the next five weeks across our website and social media. These stories deserve to be read and celebrated!

Let’s keep the magic of Loch Ness alive through young imaginations and local storytelling. 💚📚