WriteMentor Awards for Children’s Writers
Our annual writing awards are open internationally for writers of both finished and unfinished children’s fiction manuscripts, judged by literary agents with feedback options from adult and kid readers
WriteMentor champions writers via the following writing awards
Novel and Picture Book Awards
A writing award for any unagented or unpublished writers of completed children’s manuscripts of any genre and age group. Our two categories, Novel and Picture Book, are judged separately by both authors and a panel of industry experts, including editors and agents, with individual prizes for each. Winners are announced during a live-streamed award ceremony.
Novel in Development Award
A writing award for writers of both finished and unfinished children’s manuscripts of any genre and age group, judged by a guest agent. Opt in for valuable feedback on your opening pages and synopsis from both adult and kid readers, with the potential to win a year’s worth of one-to-one mentoring from a leading author to develop your manuscript.
“WriteMentor is such an encouraging environment I had no hesitation in entering. I loved that the novel did not have to be complete.”
Amanda Thomas, winner of WriteMentor’s 2020 Novel-in-Development Award
Award success stories
Kathryn Foxfield was shortlisted for the 2019 WriteMentor Novel Award and has since published GOOD GIRLS DIE FIRST and IT’S BEHIND YOU.
Alexandra Page won the 2019 WriteMentor Novel Award and is has since published WISHYOUWAS, THE FIRE FOX, and THE WORRY TIGER.
Louise Finch was shortlisted for the 2021 WriteMentor Novel Award and has since published THE ETERNAL RETURN OF CLARA HART.
Sophia Payne won the 2020 WriteMentor Picture Book Award and is now represented by Alice Williams Literary
Sean Dooley won the 2021 WriteMentor Novel Award and is now represented by Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency
Chris Galvin shortlisted for the 2021 WriteMentor Children’s Novel Award and is now represented by David Higham Associates
Sue Cunningham won the 2020 WriteMentor Novel Award and is now represented by Rachel Petty at The Blair Partnership.
“After the awards, Stuart White very kindly offered to send the runners-up manuscripts to agents. I said yes, never imagining that something might come of it. Then Stuart contacted me and told me that an agent named Christabel McKinley had read my manuscript and wanted to get in touch.”
Chris Galvin, winner of WriteMentor’s Children’s Novel Award
“Getting an email to say I’d been longlisted was really exciting and then even more so when the shortlisting announcement came through. It has been very humbling. I have also now discovered the supportive power of the WriteMentor community which has been brilliant.”
Sean Dooley, winner of WriteMentor’s Children’s Novel Award
Advice from winners for entering awards…
“It’s useful to read everything you can about the competition. Some competitions come with top tips for how to pitch your work, or what to do in a good synopsis. I suppose my main advice would be – just enter! Research the competition, write out the key dates on a piece of paper, stick it to the wall, then enter.”
Sean Dooley
“Be selective. There are many wonderful competitions out there, choose the ones that fit you and your writing the best, the ones that call to you. Read the instructions carefully. Then read them again. Then print them out and sleep with them under your pillow. OK, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea. Then put your submission together. When entering competitions I give myself enough time to read through it a couple of times, but not enough time to get nervous and start faffing with it so much I spoil it. Also, I enter well in advance of the closing date as I always make mistakes when I am in a rush. That is a personal preference as some people produce their best work at 11.59pm with one minute to go, but it just brings me out in hives. Then, boys and girls, just hit send.”
Amanda Thomas
“Keep going. We all work incredibly hard on our texts and then send them out full of hope and then it’s bitterly disappointing when we don’t get chosen. Until this competition I’d never got anywhere in a competition so you never know what’s possible unless you keep putting your work out there.”
Stephen James
“The WriteMentor community has to be the most supportive, welcoming writers’ space I’ve come across. Through the competition, I met so many lovely people.”
Kathryn Foxfield, shortlistee of WriteMentor’s Children’s Novel Award & author of GOOD GIRLS DIE FIRST, IT’S BEHIND YOU and TAG, YOU’RE DEAD
“My aim before the competition was to get on the long list, as I’d never been long listed before, so to reach the short list was a shock and to win it was mind-boggling. After I’d won, I received SO many messages (most of them from complete strangers) congratulating me on Twitter. It was really lovely. The writing community is so kind and supportive.”
Stephen James, winner of WriteMentor’s Picture Book Award
Be the first to hear about our writing awards
Sign up to our newsletter for early updates of writing awards submission deadlines as well as long list, short list and winners announcements.