Kids Book Review is delighted to announce its second Picture Book Award for an unpublished manuscript, in association with the National Year of Reading 2012.
THE WINNER
One overall winner will score $300 and a manuscript appraisal. And - our very exciting news - the winning manuscript will be viewed by Sue Whiting, Publishing Manager at Walker Books Australia! There is no guarantee of publication, and normal Walker Books manuscript submission rules and timings apply. Copyright for the work is retained by the author.
Two runners-up will also be announced. They will win $100 each, and a short manuscript appraisal. Our top three winners will receive a certificate in the mail. We reserve the right to nominate several Highly Commended authors (no prize is offered).
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Manuscript submissions are for picture books of 500 words or less. Please note: we strictly impose our 500 word limit. Your text word count must sit below this figure, not above it. Text word count above 500 will exclude your submission. We ask that you do not send illustrations of any kind. Succinct illustration notes within the body of the text are fine. Illustration notes do not go towards your word count.
Submissions must be in English. Work must be original and unpublished elsewhere, in part or in full. This Award is open to Australian residents, aged 18 and over.
Cost per submission is A$25.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Please read these submission requirements carefully.
Submissions open Monday 16 April 2012 and close Monday 16 July 2012 at 11.59pm. Emails must be time-marked before 11.59pm on 16 July 2012 to be eligible. Winners will be announced on Monday 30 July 2012. Winners will be emailed shortly before the announcement on KBR. Please do not post your submission – we ask for emailed submissions only.
Copyright for all work submitted is retained by the author. We do not publish or share entries with third parties, other than the winning entry, which is shared with Walker Books Australia. All work must be completely original and unpublished elsewhere, in any form, in whole or in part. Submissions should not have been accepted for publication anywhere else, in any form, past or present.
The competition is open to Australian entrants only, over the age of 18. Australian residents living overseas are eligible, so long as they have an Australian bank account for payment. Entries should be emailed as an attached Word doc or docx to taniaATkids-bookreviewDOTcom with KBR Award 2012 in the subject line. Please do not send in any other format.
Please double space your submission, number the pages and provide your title, word count, name, address, email and telephone number at the top of the first page of your manuscript.
Preferred example:
My Story Title
w/c 496
Jane Smith
4 Writer Lane
Booksville Vic 3000
jane@emailaddress.com.au
03-9999 1111
Please also add this exact same information in the body of your email, and indicate how you will be paying.
Word count is strictly 500 words or below. This is the word count of your story's TEXT. It does not include title, author information, headers, footers, page numbers or illustration notes. Submissions with a story text count over 500 will be ineligible (yes, even 501 words).
Please keep the text plain and simple, use Arial or Times New Roman 11 point, and please DO NOT add visuals, embellishments, coloured or enlarged or swirling or dropped text. Please DO NOT type any text in capital letters, even your title. Do not present your work in a table, as dot points, outlined, with indented paragraphs, with page numbers in the text or in any divisions or style formats. Please present double spaced, in basic text, with paragraphs as new lines.
Ensure your work is carefully spell- and grammar-checked, and well-edited.
A synopsis, story explanation or inspiration, CV, previous publications, author background, market analysis, title page, suggested age range or any other material is NOT required. Please send manuscript only.
Succinct illustration notes (in brackets) are fine. Please do not send artwork or illustrations of any kind, even if you are an illustrator.
Entrants are welcome to enter more than one manuscript, though a fee of $25 applies per manuscript. Multiple entries can be submitted in one email, or separately over the three month period.
PAYMENT
Cost of entry is $25 per manuscript. Direct deposit is preferred, please find details below.
Account name: Tania McCartney
Account number: 515948
BSB: 732713
Please leave your surname as reference. If you cannot leave reference, please email us with proof of payment confirmation - taniaATkids-bookreviewDOTcom. Paypal payments can be made to booksATtaniamccartneyDOTcom. Cheques are payable to Tania McCartney and can be posted to Kids Book Review, PO Box 1753, Woden ACT 2606. Envelopes containing cheques must be dated on or before Monday 16 July. Please note that submissions cannot be assessed until cheque payment clears, so leave yourself plenty of time to send payment. Once payment has been received, you will receive an email confirming your manuscript entry.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: see FAQs here and if you still have any queries, email tania@kids-bookreview.com
For submissions: entries should be emailed as an attached Word doc or docx to tania@kids-bookreview.com with KBR Award 2012 in the subject line
Website: http://www.kids-bookreview.com
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