Contests & Awards
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| © Julie Rowan-Zoch |
Submitting your work to contests and awards is a great way to get your work noticed. Here's a list of submission opportunities for children's writing and illustrating. We normally only list contests that do not require an entry fee.
Also, check out these other compilations of contests:
- Sub It Club's monthly lists of contests (see their contest roundup calendar)
- Funds for Writers
- Lee & Low's roundup of Awards & Grants for Authors of Color
- Institute for Children's Literature runs contests (for fee)
- Poet & Writer's Database of Writing Contests (includes fee contests)
Before entering a contest, pay attention to warning signs:Writing Contests are Important: How to Choose the Right Ones from the Scams; Awards Profiteers: How Writers Can Recognize Them and Why They Should Avoid Them
Twitter Pitch contests & 1st Five Pages Workshop by Adventures in YA Publishing
Most Popular Twitter Pitch Parties
James Cross Giblin Scholarship for Highlights Foundations courses
Four on 400 (every month, deadline 5th day of each month)
What I Gained from Contests (Besides my Agent)
Draw This!
Most Popular Twitter Pitch Parties
James Cross Giblin Scholarship for Highlights Foundations courses
Four on 400 (every month, deadline 5th day of each month)
- What: Comment on the contest announcement on the 4th of each month for a chance to submit your first 400 words of an MG or YA ms
- Prize: Winner's entry will be posted on blog & critiqued by four members of The Winged Pen
What I Gained from Contests (Besides my Agent)
Draw This!
- What: monthly illustration challenge with a prompt, due 20th of each month
- Who: SCBWI members
- Prize: winning pieces featured in SCBWI's monthly newsletter
ONGONG
- What: apply for emergency funds during the pandemic
- Who: people of color in the children's publishing industry (agents, editors, authors, illustrators) who've been furloughed or lost their jobs
- Award: emergency funds
January
Jan. 26 #KidlitPit
- What: a Twitter pitch event for kid lit creators
- Prize: agent or editor interest
February
Feb. 16m 8 a.m.-8 p.m. EST #PBPitch
- What: a Twitter pitch event for picture book creators
- Prize: agent or editor interest
March
- What: submit a work-in-progress
- Who: unpublished SCBWI member over the age of 50, work not under contract
- Prize: $500 plus tuition to a SCBWI conference
Mar. 31 SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grant
- What: Submit a PB, CB, MG, YA, nonfiction, or underrepresented fiction/nonfiction
- Who: current SCBWI member, work not under contract
- Prize: work will be in a showcase to editors
Mar. Don Freeman Grant
- What: submit a portfolio or rough picture book dummy
- Who: current SCBWI member
- Prize: two $1000 prizes (one to a published, on unpublished illustrator)
April
April 1-3, 2023 Kidlit Spring Fling Contest
- What: Write a story for kids under 12 years old inspired by a GIF
- Prizes: signed books, critiques, more