If you’re aged between 14 and 17 and fancy yourself as the next great crime writer, then a competition for Bradford teenagers could be just for you.

The Future Talent Group, in association with QED Foundation, starts The Creative Writing Competition on Monday to improve young people’s engagement with the written word.

A judging panel includes the former head teacher and educational advisor, Michael Latham, and critically- acclaimed novelist, scriptwriter and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Qaisra Shahraz and Telegraph & Argus content editor David Barnett.

Young people aged 14 to 17 from Bradford will be asked to submit a piece of writing to demonstrate their creativity, from which finalists and an overall winner will be selected at an award ceremony on September 18.

The short stories can be up to 2,000 words long – though you don’t have to use all that word allowance – and must be on the theme ‘Private Eye’.

How you interpret the theme is up to you, but it must begin with the first sentence: “The detective saw his opportunity. He grabbed the waitress’s arm and said...”

Who is the detective? Why does he want to speak to the waitress? What is he going to say to her? From this beginning, it’s entirely up to you. Is it a mystery story that takes place in the past, the present or perhaps even the future?

Nasir Haider, chairman of The Future Talent Group, who is leading a group of volunteers to make the Creative Writing Competition a success, said: “We really want to nurture and engage the next generation of creative writers, especially in light of the low educational attainment levels of children in inner city Bradford.

“It isn’t just about finding the next novelists, screenwriters or poets. It is becoming increasingly important to ensure young people develop and maintain a high level of written English – it forms the foundation of future success in careers such as law, medicine and teaching. However because of the prevalence of mobile technology and the prioritisation of social media, young people are no longer as interested in reading and writing as they used to be.

“There is a huge amount of undiscovered talent here in Bradford and the CWC exists as a platform where young people who have an interest in creative writing will be able to showcase their abilities.”

The judging panel will assess each entry against the criteria of originality, literary skill and theme interpretation, and mark an overall score. Prizes will be awarded to all finalists.

Dr Mohammed Ali, founder and chief executive of QED, who is supporting the competition, said: “We believe that success in the competition will support students in college, university and job applications and will give them the confidence to pursue their interest in creative writing beyond their school years.”

The Creative Writing Competition opens on Monday and closes on Friday, July 5. Young people interested in entering should e-mail their name, school and age with the reference ‘CWC’ in the subject line to Rukhsana Malik, CWC project coordinator, at r.malik@qed-uk.org.