Education catering company Chartwells and the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival team up

This competition has been created to celebrate the art of letter writing and is open to students at schools and colleges across the UK. There will be three categories: ages 5-11 ages 12-15 and 16-19 and for each of these categories there will be a winner and two runners-up with the overall winner receiving the opportunity to attend a leading cultural or sporting event as a guest of Chartwells. Students can write the letter to whoever they wish, be it a celebrity, politician, friend or family member and will be asked to write about an aspect of food that really inspires them. Topics could include: something that they really enjoy eating; recalling a meal that made a big impression on them; why food is important for education; the influences of culture on food; why they prefer home-cooked food; or an environmental or ethical issue concerning the production of food. Tony Byrne, business director, Chartwells said: "Central to Chartwells is our Eat, Learn, Live ethos which helps to educate young people about how to have a happy, safe and healthy lifestyle while contributing to a sustainable world. "The topic of this letter writing competition ties in completely with this philosophy and we are delighted to be partnering with the Festival on this initiative and look forward to seeing the entries from the students."