Girl with vision impairment wins World Book Day competition judged by top children’s author
Rosie Davison, winner of RNIB's 2025 World Book Day creative writing competition.
10-year-old Rosie Davidson from Kent has won RNIB's writing competition for children with vision impairments, judged by award-winning children’s author Tom Palmer.
As a baby, Rosie had Retinoblastoma, a kind of cancer of the retina which required years of treatment and left her with limited vision in one eye. She beat the condition and still has good vision in her other eye.
Rosie’s story describes a dark and unwelcoming city that is slowly transformed into a beautiful paradise after she plants a seed and other children start doing the same.
On winning the competition, Rosie said she was “delighted”. She loves reading, especially fantasy stories and non-fiction, and spends a lot of time writing in her spare time.
Tom Palmer whose book ‘The Soccer Diaries, Rocky Takes The Lead’ is one of this year’s World Book Day £1/1.50 titles, said: “I was delighted to be invited to be the judge for RNIB’s World Book Day competition.
“I used to work for RNIB reading stories to children with vision impairment, so it’s very special for me to know that there are great opportunities for kids with vision impairment to read and write.
“The competition entries I read were all really imaginative.
"Rosie’s idea of the seed-planting is a winner. It is a story of hope and the idea that one person can do something good that trickles down to make the world a better place. The story is told in clear short sentences and is laid out so that it feels like a poem. That’s lovely too. It’s a great story and my winner. It gave me hope.”
Lara Marshall, RNIB’s Library Services Manager who organised the competition, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with Rosie’s winning entry and would like to say a big thanks to all the young writers with vision impairment who entered the contest.
“It’s always so rewarding to see that children with vision impairment can find so much joy in reading and writing when books and writing opportunities are made accessible to them.”
Most of the World Book Day titles including Tom Palmer's books, are available for children to read in braille and audio through the RNIB Library. Get your copy by calling the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
Any large print books can be requested through the Guide Dogs CustomEyes service.
Thousands of children’s books in accessible formats can be downloaded free from the RNIB Library.