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| © Susi Schaefer |
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
FEBRUARY
MARCH
Feb. 1-28 Sustainable Arts Foundation
- What: apply for an unrestricted cash grant
- Who: a person who has a child under the age 18
- Prize: one of 20 $5,000 unrestricted grants (check link above for requirements from last year, same will apply for 2020)
Feb. 29 March Madness Poetry
- What: apply to become an authlete, where you face off with poems written to a prompt, bracket-style, to be voted on by students and other poets, over the course of a month
- Prize: glory and accolades
MARCH
Mar. 5 #Pitmad
Feb. 17-Mar. 20 A. Orr Fantasy Grant
- What: tweet your pitch for your completed manuscript
- Prize: agent attention/likes (invitations to query) and editor likes (invitation to query/submit via agent)
Feb. 17-Mar. 20 A. Orr Fantasy Grant
- What: submit a full-length middle grade or YA novel in the speculative genre
- Who: SCBWI members unpublished with traditional publishers
- Prize: tuition to LA summer conference, $300, and a manuscript consultation
Mar. 1-30 Don Freeman Work-In-Progress Award
- What: apply for one of two $1000 grants for a work in progress
- Who: illustrators (one published, one un-published) & SCBWI members
- Prize: $1,000 grant to help complete your project
Mar. 1-30 Work-in-Progress Award
- What: submit work in one of seven categories: picture book, chapter books, middle grade, YA, nonfiction, multicultural, translation
- Who: SCBWI members
- Prize: work available on secure website accessible to hand-selected group of editors
- What: submit in conjunction with SCBWI Work-in-Progress award
- Who: unpublished, SCBWI member over 50 years old
- Prize: $500 and free tuition to any SCBWI conference in world (travel/hotel not included)
APRIL
Feb. 1- April 30 Ann Whitford Paul - Writer's Digest Manuscript Award
- What: apply for a $1,000 grant to develop a picture book manuscript
- Who: any SCBWI member who are not under contract or who have not sold a picture book in 3 years
- Prize: $1,000 grant
April 17-19 Spring Fling Writing Contest
- What: write a 150-word spring-themed story for children 12-years and under inspired by a GIF
- Prize: manuscript, portfolio, and query critiques, signed books
April 22 #DVpit
- What: pitch your PB, MG, or YA novel
- Who: self-identified historically marginalized and underrepresented authors & illustrators
- Prize: agent interest in pitch (likes = invitation to query)
JUNE
June 18 #PBPitch
- What: tweet your picture book pitch between 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET
- Prize: agent attention and likes (invitations to query)
