How to enter
Head to our Entry Portal to submit your entry and see our criteria below.
Illustration Submission Criteria:
- Please use the website entry portal to submit your work.
- Your submissions must include:
- Entries can include text, but text is not necessary to enter the illustration competition.
- Please send your art as a PDF.
- Please include your name in the file name.
- A portfolio of your work including a minimum of ten sample pieces of artwork OR full layouts and illustrations for a 32-page picture book.
- A link to your online portfolio, website or Instagram page.
In order to get the very most out of the prize, please do consider sending in a range of styles, such as colour spreads, black and white line work, etc. This allows you to show off the full range of your work and the multiple age groups it might appeal to. For example, pencil or black line tends to be used for books for 7–12 year old readers. Colour art is generally used in books for 0–5 years olds and for cover commissions. Let us see what you can do!
Text submission criteria:
- Please use the website entry portal to submit your work.
- Your submission must be a maximum of 5,000 words of text.
- There is no minimum word count and the maximum 5,000 words can be a sample of a longer work – it does not have to be a short story (though those are welcome too!)
- We do strongly advise you to complete your work insofar as you can, even if you do not enter the whole manuscript: after the ceremony agents will request the full manuscript, so in order to get the most out of the prize, it is best to have the whole manuscript ready to go.
- Please send in the complete story if the text is for a picture book. (Picture books should not be longer than 5000 words).
- If your text competition entry is for an illustrated book, you do not need to submit illustrations.
- No handwritten entries please.
- Please submit the text either as a Word document or as a PDF.
- Please include your name in the file name.
General Criteria
- Entrants must be of Black, Asian or non-white minority ethnic background.
- Entrants must be previously unpublished. This does not include self-published authors and illustrators. Self-published entrants are eligible and encouraged to apply.
- Entries must be text or artwork for children (i.e. 1-18 years), not for adults.
- UK and Ireland residents only.
- Applicants must be over 18.
- Applicants can apply for both prizes – text and illustration – but can only submit one entry per text or art category. All entries will be acknowledged on receipt, but only shortlistees will be contacted directly. Winners will be revealed at the Awards ceremony, or shortly afterwards if winners are unable to attend.