A ground-breaking exhibition about the past is helping inspire a creative writing competition for the present. People in Pembrokeshire are being asked to put pen to paper for their thoughts on the Second World War. Adults and children of all ages can write a story, song, play or poem either inspired by the exhibition, 'Their Past Your Future', or by their own experience of the war, or someone else's account of it. There are three categories - for under 11s, 12 to 17-year-olds and the over 18s - while winners will receive a first prize of £100, second prize of £50 and a third of £25. Entries will be judged by Dr. Grahame Davies, winner of the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year Award 2002, and Pembroke Dock-born writer and broadcaster, Phil Carradice. Sixty years after the war ended, the touring exhibition, 'Their Past Your Future', looks at the impact of the conflict and its legacy on people and places across Britain. Curated by the Imperial War Museum in London, it will be hosted by eight venues in Wales as part of a £10 million 15-month programme of commemorative and educational events. The bilingual exhibition, which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund and administered in Wales by the National Library of Wales, opened at Haverfordwest Library on April 4 - its only appearance in West Wales. The exhibition includes case studies, images, printed and audio-visual material, including photographs of Swansea during and after the Blitz and of evacuees arriving in Wales. Other events planned to coincide with it include talks, cookery demonstrations and poetry readings. Winners of the creative writing competition will receive their prizes on May 9 at Haverfordwest Library when the exhibition comes to an end. For an entry form, please contact Pembrokeshire County Council arts officer, Christine Willison, on 01437 775246 or e mail [email protected]">[email protected]