Campaign competition for young people
Got an idea that could help children and young people stay safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others? Enter our competition and help create a real campaign across West Yorkshire.
Got an idea that could help children and young people stay safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others? Enter our competition and help create a real campaign across West Yorkshire.
If you are aged 11 to 25 and live, study or work in West Yorkshire, you can enter the West Yorkshire Combined Authority's campaign competition. Share your idea for helping children and young people stay safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others. The winning idea will become a real campaign across West Yorkshire.
Entries close on Monday 30 November 2026.
If anything on this page affects you, help is available. Find out where to get support.
When we wrote the West Yorkshire Serious Violence Strategy, young people told us they wanted more help and advice on how to stay safe and avoid violence. You can read what young people told us in the Voice of West Yorkshire consultation.
Young people have also told us about feeling safe, the support they need and the ideas they have for their communities.
We listened. That is why we want young people to create a campaign that helps others stay safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others. We want to see your ideas for keeping safe, looking out for your friends and making your community a better place.
A campaign is when people share the same message in lots of different places, so that more people see it, remember it and act on it.
Imagine a school wants everyone to wear a helmet when they ride a bike. Instead of saying it just once, the school might:
put up posters around the school
share videos online
talk about it in assemblies
send messages to parents
All of these work together to spread the same message, so lots of people hear it and understand it.
You can enter this competition for young people if you:
are aged 11 to 25
live, study or work in West Yorkshire
meet the competition terms and conditions
You can enter on your own or as part of a group.
You can share your idea in any creative way you like. For example, you could send:
a drawing or poster
a storyboard
a photo
a piece of writing
a digital design
a short video of up to 30 seconds
In your entry, tell us:
what your campaign is about
why it matters to young people
what message you want to share about staying safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others
how your idea could make a positive difference
You can tell us all of this in the entry form.
We are looking for ideas that are positive and encouraging. The best campaigns inspire people and share good messages, rather than blaming people or telling them what to do.
You can use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help make your entry. If you do, please tell us which parts you made with AI.
Please do not include personal details about yourself or anyone else.
Create your idea on staying safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others.
Fill in the entry form at the bottom of this page. You will need to give your name, age, email address and the area of West Yorkshire you live, study or work in, and tell us about your idea.
If you are under 18, your parent or guardian will need to fill in one page of the form to give their permission.
Send your entry before midnight on Monday 30 November 2026.
You need permission from a parent or guardian before you enter. The form has a page for your parent or guardian to fill in themselves, so make sure they are with you when you enter. Your school or youth group can also send your entry for you.
Schools, youth groups and other organisations can send in an entry for one young person or for a group of young people who worked on an idea together.
If you cannot use the form, you can email your entry or post it to:
FREEPOST West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Wellington House
40-50 Wellington Street
Leeds
LS1 2DE
Videos must be 30 seconds long or less. Send your video using our Dropbox upload page, then fill in the entry form so we know it is yours.
If you have a question about the competition, email the team.
A panel of judges will choose the winning idea. The panel includes members of the Mayor's Young Communities Network.
The judges will look for ideas that:
are creative and original
have a clear message about staying safe from gangs, crime and pressure from others
matter to young people
could help make West Yorkshire a better place
could grow into a campaign across West Yorkshire
are positive and encouraging
The winning idea will be turned into a real campaign across West Yorkshire. You will work with a professional company to help bring your idea to life.
You will also meet the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe to talk about your idea.
We will be in touch after the competition closes to let you know how you got on.
These are some of the campaigns made by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership.
Keep the Door Open campaign uses music and stories to get young people thinking about their future and what carrying a knife could cost them. It shows how good choices keep doors open.
#JustDon't campaign raises awareness of sexual harassment and asks everyone to treat others with respect.
I Took A Seat campaign shares young people's views and ideas on preventing serious violence and making communities safer.
These reports might help you when you plan your idea.
The Mayor's Police and Crime Plan sets out what the Mayor wants to do to make West Yorkshire safer.
The West Yorkshire Serious Violence Strategy explains how young people, communities and organisations are working together to stop violence before it starts.
The Voice of West Yorkshire report shares what people, including children and young people, told us about the issues that matter most to them and their ideas for making West Yorkshire a safer place to live.
The Violence Reduction Partnership Learning Hub has reports and facts about serious violence in West Yorkshire, and some of the reasons it happens.
The Child First Framework explains how putting children and young people first can help them stay safe, be heard and reach their goals.
The West Yorkshire Youth Commission report shares what more than 1,200 young people said about safety, violence and the support they need.
Fill in the form below to send us your idea. Before you enter, please read the competition terms and conditions and the competition privacy notice.
If anything in this campaign has affected you, help and support is available.
Childline offers free, private support for anyone under 19.
Fearless is part of Crimestoppers and lets young people pass on information about crime without giving their name.
Victim Support helps anyone affected by crime. Live chat is available.
West Yorkshire Police has live chat on its website. In an emergency, always call 999.
