St Winning’s Primary School in Kilwinning joined primary schools across Scotland to launch VoiceBox 2025 – a national joke-telling competition for primary schools.
The competition, which officially launched on Blue Monday, aims to spread joy and highlight the power of communication.
On the first day of joke-telling, competitions took place across Scotland as schools selected their entries to be put forward for this year’s final, organised by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).
Eleven-year-old Freya McVie Branley, P7, was St Winning’s winner, with the judges voting her joke the best in class.
Freya’s joke was: “I walked into Primark and there was a bra on the floor. I stepped on it and fell other – it was a booby trap!”
VoiceBox is a celebration of the critical role communication plays in children’s development. It showcases the importance of communication skills and speech and language therapy and aims to inspire confidence, creativity, and connection among schoolchildren.
Glenn Carter, Head of RCSLT Scotland, said: “VoiceBox is a shining example of how humour and communication can bring people together. By encouraging children to express themselves through jokes, we’re helping to nurture essential communication skills while bringing joy to everyone involved.
“In an era of budget constraints, it’s imperative to recognise that speech and language therapy is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. These services open doors to better education, improved mental health and stronger employment opportunities. It’s our aim to shine a spotlight on the transformative power of speech and language therapy in improving life prospects, while raising a laugh along the way.”
The VoiceBox 2025 final will take place on Thursday, June 5, 2025, with finalists from each of Scotland’s local authorities gathering at the Scottish Parliament, hosted by the Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP.
The event will once again be compered by journalist and comedian Zara Janjua, ensuring a day filled with laughter and fun.
The winners will receive prizes courtesy of Collins Big Cat, the leading whole-school primary reading programme.
All of the finalists will receive £100 worth of books from the competition sponsor.
The overall winner will also receive a £500 Collins Big Cat book voucher for their school, ensuring plenty of new reading material for them and their classmates.
Second and third place winners will each earn £200 Collins Big Cat book vouchers for their school, and all three winners will be presented with a toy gift card.
Lizzi Jones, Head of Sales and Marketing Scotland for Harper Collins Publishing, said: “We are proud to support VoiceBox in its mission to celebrate the power of communication and humour. By encouraging children to share jokes, this initiative nurtures creativity, confidence, and literacy in a fun and engaging way.”
Entry is now open and will close on Tuesday, April 1 at 11.59pm.
To enter VoiceBox 2025, please visit here.
For more information, please contact Erin Lindsay on [email protected]
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