Advice from past award winners

Flexing your writing muscles, developing confidence, gaining exposure, drumming up motivation, and, of course, potentially winning, are some of the many benefits of entering writing competitions.

If you’re a writer who thinks their story has award-winning potential, check out some advice from previous winners of our WriteMentor Novel & Picture Book Awards about how to enter writing awards and some useful general tips for writers.

The 2025 WriteMentor Novel & Picture Book Awards are open for entries of children’s and adult fiction, judged by agents from David Higham Associates. Enter now before April 1st.

Go for it – and keep writing

Villy Tichkova, one of the 2024 WriteMentor Novel & Picture Book Award winners, shares her advice for entering writing awards: “Go for it. And keep writing. I was ten thousand words short of finishing my novel, but I still entered. When I was longlisted, I had four days to finish it, that was intense, but in hindsight, the deadline helped me finish the novel.”

And in terms of general writing advice: “One thing that works for me is dancing. I let my body move spontaneously, that helps my imagination to release, and stories just come tumbling in. And reading of course, no better advice, to be a writer you must be an avid reader.”

Seek out a writing community

Here is a helpful list of advice from another 2024 winner, Nicola Tams:

• Probably read the instructions clearly and don’t make the same mistake I did where I panicked that my name was added to the Google file and didn’t realise that this was supposed to happen! 

• Different competitions have different requirements for how to submit, follow these exactly and don’t go over the word limit.

• Check your eligibility for the competition; some are open internationally or to UK only and some are for unagented writers only. Look out for sponsored places and opportunities where you fall into a category that’s considered a minority group.

• If the longlist requires the full manuscript, make sure you have finished the manuscript (!)

• Always remember that the judges opinions are subjective. I entered three other competitions at the same time as this one and didn’t make the longlist for any of them.  Our work is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s ok. I use the competitions to motivate myself to work towards a deadline, then I try not to think about it again. 

• Lastly, go for it! Putting yourself out there is such a huge step and it’s scary to open yourself up to feedback. No matter what the outcome, celebrate sharing your work!

And her general writing advice:

• First and foremost is reading widely across all genres and age groups. I keep a reading journal to jot down what I think works well in a story and how I can apply those techniques to my own work-in-progress. This practice also helps me understand the market and see how authors have given popular themes a fresh twist.

• Invest in your professional development through courses, workshops, podcasts, or YouTube videos. Take yourself seriously by mastering the craft and learning from others.

• Don’t be afraid to fail. Write the first draft and allow yourself to write badly. Don’t expect miracles overnight, go back to your work consistently with fresh eyes and let it evolve, even if it doesn’t seem like you’re moving forward, all small changes will make a difference over time. 

• Share your work with peers, or if possible, schedule a one-on-one session with an editor or agent, and be open to receiving constructive feedback. Give yourself time to digest the feedback for a week or so, then consider how you can use it to enhance your story.

• Seek out a writing community; writing can be solitary and having others who understand your journey is invaluable.

• Remember to take breaks. Our brains continue to work on problems even when we’re not actively thinking about them. A valuable lesson I learned was the importance of latent processing; solutions to story problems would often come to me unexpectedly while driving or cleaning the bathroom.

• Crafting stories for children can be challenging because as adults, we tend to view subjects through an adult lens. Try freewriting about your most vivid childhood memories. Pay attention to your senses, thoughts, and feelings during those moments. These discoveries will help develop a voice which can better connect with young readers.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Meanwhile, another 2024 winner, Lucy Falkner, encourages writers do the following before entering writing awards: “Ask someone you trust to read through your work and then go for it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained…”

And Lucy’s general writing advice: “For me, it has been essential to find a trusted little group of writers to critique my work, share the highs and lows and offer pearls of wisdom. I simply wouldn’t be able to do it without them! Also, accept that writing is a craft that you have to learn and hone. Pull on some comfy trainers and settle into the marathon!”

Submit what you love writing

“Don’t play it safe or submit something you think is en vogue, submit what you love writing. With so many entrants for the judges to read, it’s crucial to stand out. Make sure your work grabs attention right from the beginning,” says 2024 Picture Book category winner, Kim Franklin.

Kim shares her general writing advice: “Everyone knows something you don’t, so follow authors/illustrators /agents/publishers online and learn from their experience. Listen to feedback and be ready to cut your darlings, you might have the most amazing line, or character, but if it doesn’t move the story along it needs to go (maybe into a new story).”

Keep reading, keep writing, keep trying

“Keep reading, keep writing, keep trying! I entered a much earlier version of this ultimately, it made me more determined to try and work out how to make my work more appealing.  I’m learning to lean in to rejections and accept them for what they are – redirection towards something better. It’s always uncomfortable and disappointing to not be longlisted or shortlisted, or to get comments that are less than complimentary. I’m still working on reminding myself to read through comments quickly, then put my computer away and do something else before going back two or three days later to re-read comments. I often find that my initial reaction has changed by then and I can see what changes I might want to make and in what way,” advises Cate Haynes, who won the WriteMentor Novel Award 2023. 

“Keep reading, keep listening, keep learning, keep sending your work to competitions and agents. Probably my biggest and best piece of advice though – get some writer-mates! Writer-friends are the best kind of friends,” adds Cate, sharing her writing advice.

Get involved with the competition organiser’s community

Saira Shah’s writing journey started with entering the 2022 WriteMentor Picture Book Award. Since winning in 2023, she is now represented by Peters Fraser + Dunlop. Here are her five tips she found helpful for entering writing awards:

• Find all the competitions you want to enter for the year. Budget what you want to spend, and check which ones have prizes/exposure/feedback available that you’re interested in. Write them in your diary (I use my phone calendar). 
• All competitions have different entry requirements. I know, I know, it’s boring reading them, but try your best to do so. You don’t want to pay for a competition and then get booted out for tipping the word count over by ONE WORD! (I don’t actually think they’re that ruthless, but don’t test them!)
• Watch the videos and reading material they upload to support you. I watched EVERY WriteMentor video on YouTube. It gives you a good feel for what they’re looking for, valuable advice for writing and just generally are enjoyable to watch. 
• Get involved with the competition’s Twitter community. Make announcements, retweet, talk to and support others. It’s nice to go on the competition journey (ups and downs) with others who ‘get it’. 
• Don’t leave your entry to the last minute. I nearly didn’t get my entry in. I had seconds left, a crying baby in my arms, and an overwhelming rush of panic. Yes, I did get an extra buzz when I submitted it JUST IN TIME (I’m easily thrilled these days). But, I do not recommend it

Read everything you can about the competition

“Keep reading, keep listening, keep learning, keep sending your work to competitions and agents. Probably my biggest and best piece of advice though – get some writer-mates! Writer-friends are the best kind of friends,” adds Cate, sharing her writing advice.

Read everything you can about the competition

“It’s useful to read everything you can about the competition. Some writing competitions come with top tips for how to pitch your work, or what to do in a good synopsis. Actually – the synopsis is something I’ve always struggled with – I feel like it took ages to write the full manuscript, and then you have to do it all over again, but without the use of all the words! (The answer to the synopsis question in the WriteMentor FAQs was really helpful.) I suppose my main advice would be – just enter! Research the writing competition, write out the key dates on a piece of paper, stick it to the wall, then enter. Of course, that’s easier said than done and it can be expensive to enter multiple writing competitions – but increasingly I’ve noticed that some writing competitions offer support for writers who need it so if that’s a barrier, then it’s always worth investigating whether an entry can be sponsored,” says Sean Dooley, who won the 2021 WriteMentor Novel Award 2021 and is now represented by Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency.

And Sean’s writing advice: “I think the old phrase “Don’t get it right, get it written” is always appropriate. I know that I can spend ages skirting around the edges of a project, worrying that I’m going to get it “wrong” and then nothing gets written. So sometimes it’s good to set out to write the worst possible page of prose it’s possible to do and then from that, something might work out – or at the very least help me to get started. I can thoroughly recommend Stephen King’s book On Writing which contains some excellent insights into the craft of a writer.”

Be brave and put your work out there

On entering writing awards, Sue Cunningham, winner of our 2020 WMCNA whose YA novel, Totally Deceased, is now published by Scholastic, explains: “Remember you’re not alone! There are loads of opportunities out there, books, magazines, free content and courses online. The writing community is so welcoming. Read widely in your own and other genres. Seek out critique partners or an online group, be prepared to give as well as receive constructive criticism. Apply for mentoring, enter competitions. Be brave, put your work out there. And, as Stuart says, once you’ve pressed send, put it out of your head. Don’t expect to win, start something new. You might get a fantastic surprise like I did.”

Once you’ve entered, forget about the writing competition

Maureen Tai, who won the WriteMentor Picture Book Award 2022 and is now represented by Fuse Literary, adds: “Only enter work that you’re completely, one hundred per cent happy with: that has been peer-reviewed by trusted critique partners or in writing groups, and polished to as shiny a state as you can make it. It’s trite but also true that once you’ve submitted your entry, give yourself a pat on the back, forget about the contest completely and throw yourself into another writing project. Don’t diarise the results announcement dates either! That’ll just make you antsy as the date looms.”

And Maureen’s writing advice?

“Seek out good books to learn from, and read, read, read, as many books as possible of the genre that you’re writing. There are so many great resources online these days as well as thoughtful, dedicated book reviewers who can help you keep your TBR list manageable. If you have small children you can read aloud to, read a variety of picture books with them – perhaps even a dummy version of your own picture book manuscript – to get a feel for what really appeals to, and works with, younger audiences. Lastly, don’t forget to play with your writing as well. Have fun, and try experimenting with different forms to keep things fresh and interesting. I dabble in flash fiction, short stories, poetry, etc. for both children and adults and I love the variety.”

Read the writing competition guidelines carefully

Aoife Doyle, who won the WriteMentor Novel Award 2022, lists her valuable advice – from writing your entry to pressing ‘send’.

“The entering stuff: Read the writing competition guidelines carefully and strictly adhere to it – don’t risk automatically losing by submitting too many words or a synopsis that’s juusttwo lines too long. Give them every reason to wave you through onto the next round. Don’t submit in a panic, take a breath and make time to double check.”

Polish your opening pages

“The writing stuff: Have your writing software/the internet read out your sample to you to check (yet again) for errors and that the rhythm is just right. Ensure your opening pages are effective in 1) being full of voice as possible, whatever that means for you, your MC, and genre, 2) connecting the reader to your MC and their wound, 3) establishing the reader in the setting/space & time. Opening pages are elite writing for competition, and like any athlete, you have to make it look easy. Just like for athletes, that takes time, trial and error, discipline, and most importantly, rest days.”

Celebrate entering the writing competition

“The emotional stuff: Celebrate entering the writing competition – you shared your writing baby with fancy professional writey people! Yay you! You deserve a decadent donut or a new pin or a walk along your favourite route and a proper movie night. Actually do it though, actually treat yourself. Associate pushing against the comfort zone and investing in your writing career with positive reinforcement. (I am terrible at this, be better than me, please!) Once you get the confirmation email, make a note of when the longlist will be announced/whatever end date the waiting has, and forget about it. Move on to the next Thing, get writing, get thinking about the next story. When news does come, sit in it. Feel the sadness of the rejection and talk to friends who understand. Dealing with rejection is a skill, you will get better at it but to do that you must learn how to handle it healthily, and since rejection is a neverending and unavoidable part of writing, start learning now. If you don’t have people who understand creative rejection yet, find them now, whether through WriteMentor, other writing resources, the bird app, or local writing groups or book clubs (or other creative groups). Of course, if you hear good news, CELEBRATE! Full on fancy meal and non-zoom clothes level celebrate (however that translates to you)! Tell your writey people and share the joy! Revel in it! No matter the news, acknowledge the fact that you have put a piece of your creative self out into the world for judgement, and that is deeply vulnerable, and that makes you brave. It’s easy to forget that along the way. Have another donut.”

Finally, Aoife has “so much” writing advice to share she could write a book, but she sums it up with “two practical tidbits and one social”.

“If you’re ever stuck in a scene and aren’t sure how a character will react, or aren’t sure how to get the right tone for a scene, need it to be funnier, sadder, turn on a line of dialogue from silly to serious, try casting your characters out to actors whose skill you know well. They don’t necessarily have to be child actors, but just think how a Dakota Fanning would play this scene, or Millie Bobby Brown, or a teenage Chris [insert favourite version here]. Imagining how someone whose storytelling ability you see fluidly take on a section that has you snagged can often untangle you and add another layer of subtly. Having anchor characters for your characters is also very helpful. For example, my MC Finta has the confidence of Wolfwalker’s Mebh so I would often anchor myself to Finta by thinking of Mebh’s proud and sometimes reckless self-belief and how that is shown in the film, and translate that into Finta’s can-do, witty attitude that masks her insecurities and terror of making more mistakes,” describes Aoife.

“Show and tell are a screwdriver and hammer, respectively, and you need both to build the house of your story. Knowing when to use which is the key. Screwdrivers are for precise, detailed, close-up work – ie, show the reader important information through cause and effect. Best done when you know the cause but only show the effect. For example, I know the character is angry but I’m only going to write about the vein throbbing in their temple and the nails biting into their palms. Hammers are for broad, basic, rough work – ie, tell the reader important information by relating what has happened. This information does not draw attention but quickly moves the plot and pace along,” adds Aoife.

“Stories are such a deep and intrinsic part of who we are and who we become, they are and always have been how we learn. I think the best advice I can give that you couldn’t easily find elsewhere is to write ethically. Be aware of your word choice. What insults does your bully character use? What throwaway derogatory comments are in your MS? Do you call characters fat or lazy, when other words would work just fine? Do you equate femininity with inferiority? What do your unlikable and antagonistic characters look like, and is there a trend or bias you hadn’t noticed before? What is being said in your story that the story itself, the plot and its triumphs and comeuppances does not unsay? What behaviour is deemed cool or acceptable by the narrative? Who is being laughed at in your story, and is it fair? I don’t mean this in a plot sense, but in the sense that your story is a social construct, and there will be children reading, learning from it, and your words will teach them how to behave, how to react. You have the power to teach them another lesson in subtle bigotry, like so much of our media does without thinking. Or, with another pass of revisions when the heavy work is done, you have the power to teach them kindness and compassion in a way that many may not register, but all will feel. The world would be a more empathetic place with more people willing to risk being kind if more custodians of media took on this responsibility, and it starts with us. We won’t always get it right (and certainly not without sensitivity readers!) but we can try. And as every protagonist learns, that’s what makes the difference,” concludes Aoife.

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