Contests & Awards


© Danielle Heitmuller



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:

Ongoing Contests & Awards

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: 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
March 2024

  • What: Enter your picture book text, chapter book/middle grade, young adult fiction, nonfiction, underrepresented fiction or nonfiction, or if you've applied for the Karen Cushman Late Bloomer award
  • Who: SCBWI members working on a project not under contract
  • Award: winners will be presented in a showcase to a select group of acquiring editors 
  • What: Submit through the Work-in-Progress Award link
  • Who: unpublished SCBWI members over the age of fifty
  • Award: $500 and free tuition to any SCBWI conference in the world
  • What: apply for one of two $1,000 grants, submit either a portfolio or picture book dummy
  • Who: one unpublished and one published illustrator, SCBWI member
  • Award: two $1,000 grants
April

  • What:  Apply to be chosen as the most promising picture book manuscript, in fiction or nonfiction
  • Who: SCBWI member not under contract and/or not having sold a picture book in 5 years
  • Award: $1000 grant for each winner (fiction/nonfiction)
July

  • What: apply for full tuition to the SCBWI summer conference in Los Angeles
  • Who: writer or writer/illustrator from traditionally underrepresented ethnic or cultural background; with an original work not under contract
  • Award: full tuition to summer conference, access to agents/editors