____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read more about the Sub Six Series: All About Submissions Here
Guest Post by Sylvia Liu
Contest and Other Submission Opportunities in 2014
Besides submitting work to agents and publishers, don’t forget to submit to contests, grants, or mentorship programs. These are great ways to get your work noticed and perhaps published, to improve your craft, or to help pay for your writing or illustration habit.
Here’s a list of contest and submission opportunities in 2014, for both children’s book writers and illustrators, with deadline dates ordered chronologically. When a range of dates are listed, applications are accepted only within that window. If a date is in parentheses, it is the date for last year’s contest because the new date has not been announced (but it is likely this year’s deadlines will be on a similar timeline). Click the links to find out application information.
A great resource: Be sure to check the SCBWI Event Calendar for local mentorship programs and awards. Just in the month of January, the following SCBWI regions have mentorship program or scholarship applications available and due soon: Southern Breeze (conference tuition for illustrators; AL, GA, FL, Feb. due date), Carolinas Mentor Program (Jan. 10 due date), California North/Central Digital Mentor Picture Book Program (Jan. 10 due date),
JANUARY
Jan. 1 – Jan. 31 Highlights Fiction Contest
- What: best short story (up to 800 words) with a holiday theme
- Who is eligible: anybody, published or unpublished
- Prize: three $1,000 prizes or tuition to any Highlights Foundation course
Jan. 15- Feb. 3 Rate Your Story
- What: best manuscripts in three categories: Picture Book, Novel/Novella, Everything Else
- Who is eligible: free to RYS members (Basic members can submit 1 MS to each category, Pro members can submit 2 MSs); $5/MS for anyone else
- Prize: First place gets $50, a professional critique, and free Pro membership, 2nd & 3rd prizes available
FEBRUARY
Feb. 28 Sustainable Arts Foundation 2014 Spring Grant (application available Jan. 15)
- Award: Five $6,000 awards and five $2,000 awards for writers or artists who are also parents
- Who is eligible: applicant must have at least one child under the age of 18
MARCH
March 1 – March 31: SCBWI Work In Progress Grants, includes:
- Award: seven $2,000 grants in each category (Picture Book Text (Barbara Karlin Grant), General Fiction, Contemporary young adult novel, Multi-cultural fiction, Nonfiction research (Anna Cross Giblin Award)
- Who is eligible: SCBWI members
Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award
- Award: $500 and free tuition to any SCBWI conference
- Who is eligible: SCBWI members, authors over age 50 who have not been traditionally published
- Award: two $1000 grants to illustrators (1 to a published illustrator, 1 to a pre-published illustrator)
- Who is eligible: SCBWI members
March 15-April 15: Student Illustrator Scholarship to SCBWI Conference
- Award: 2 scholarships to the national LA SCBWI conference in August 2014, including the portfolio showcase and the illustrator intensive
- Who is eligible: full time graduate or undergraduate students studying illustration
APRIL
April 15: Student Writer Scholarship to SCBWI Conference
- Award: two scholarships to the national LA SCBWI conference in August 2014, including an SCBWI advisor to help navigate the weekend
- Who is eligible: full time students over 18 at an accredited academic institution
MAY
May 5 Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition
- Award: cash prizes, work seen by editors & agents, etc.
- Who is eligible: anyone writing for all genres, including kid lit (fees are involved to apply for this competition)
JUNE
JULY
(July 31) Unfortunately, THE CHEERIOS CONTEST WILL NOT RUN THIS YEAR Cheerios 2014 Spoonful of Stories Contest
- What: a national search for a winning picture book story
- Who is eligible: unpublished writers (very strict – can’t have published in kidlit market, including magazines)
- Prize: $5000 and publication & distribution in Cheerios boxes nationwide
AUGUST
Aug. 31 Sustainable Arts Foundation 2014 Fall Grant
- Award: Five $6,000 awards and five $2,000 awards for writers or artists who are also parents
- Who is eligible: applicant must have at least one child under the age of 18
SEPTEMBER
(Sept. 30) New Voices Award, Lee & Low Books
- What: a national search for a winning picture book story
- Who is eligible: unpublished, unagented writer of color (can be published in kidlit magazines)
- Prize: $1,000 plus standard publication contract
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
(Dec. 13) Tomie dePaola Illustration Contest
- What: annual search for a winning illustration following a prompt given by Tomie dePaola
- Who is eligible: SCBWI members
- Prize: trip to the winter New York SCBWI conference, award presented, and lunch with Tomie dePaola
Sylvia Liu is a former environmental attorney turned writer-illustrator. She is working on several picture book projects and is being mentored by illustrator David Diaz as part of this year’s Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program. Her art and infographics have been published on Huffington Post and other venues. She is inspired by aliens, cephalopods, bunnies, and pigs who want to fly. Check out her portfolio at www.enjoyingplanetearth.com, her blog at www.sylvialiuland.com, her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ArtbySylviaLiu, and her Twitter handle is @artsylliu.
CONTEST ADDITION AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SYLVIA’S LIST FROM ALAYNE
On JANUARY 11, SYLVIA’S LIST WILL BE POSTED ON kidlit411. It will be updated on that site throughout the year. Kidlit411 is an exciting new website that my friends Elaine Kiely Kearns and Sylvia have put together with a little help from their friends. They are building it up to be “the” place to go for kidlit information. I hope you will check it out. They have done a beautiful job. Just before I published Sylvia’s post, I thought of another contest. Pockets Magazine Fiction Contest – March 15 – August 15. BEST OF LUCK TO ALL WHO COMPETE OR APPLY FOR THE FABULOUS OPPORTUNITIES. MORE ABOUT THE SUB SIX SERIES: ALL ABOUT SUBMISSIONS
[…] HERE’S TO 2013 SUB SIX SERIES GUEST BLOGGER SYLVIA LIU: CONTESTS AND OTHER SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH WRITER… […]
Thanks, Alayne, for starting this blog series. Looking forward to lots of good information!
Thank you, Sylvia for kicking the series off with this wonderful post. It is a gift to our fellow writers and illustrators (not that I’m an illustrator, but you know what I mean) 🙂
Thanks so much for the information, ladies! You two are peaches! 🙂
kidlit411 will be picking up the list on 1/11 and updating it throughout the year, so thanks for taking care of this valuable info, E.
The LEE&LOW’S New Voices Award prize IS NOT $100, but $1000. Thanks for posting this timeline. I had the opportunity to copy it on the calendar just incase I lose this post. I appreciate it. 😀
Thanks for letting us know, Jackie. That typo was fixed shortly after it went live. You must have seen in between. Best of luck with any opportunities you might be considering.
Thanks 😀
This series is off to a great start, Alayne! Sylvia, thanks much for putting together this awesome list. :0)
Well done! Nice to have all this information consolidated in one useful list!
Yes, I agree Cathy. Sylvia did a fantastic job.
Thanks for compiling this Sylvia! So much great information. Great idea for a series, Alayne!
Thanks, Penny! I was compiling the list anyway for myself and thought it better to share it widely.
Great job, Sylvia! Thank you for the information…I’ll be sure to keep following updates on KidLit411.
Thanks for stopping by Martha, and I hope you’ll find KidLit411 helpful too.
This is a test.
You scored 100% (hee hee)!
Good one, Penny. Thanks for the chuckle.
Thanks so much. I’m going to have to come back here when I have more time and put these in my calendar.
That is a good idea, Julianna. Best of luck with any opportunities you pursue.
Thanks Alayne! I’m going to need all the luck I can get!
Great job Sylvia!
Thanks, Kristen! 🙂
Excellent info Sylvia. Thanks so much for helping us reach for the stars. 🙂 I’m NOT doing RYS anymore, but I will do Highlights and some of the others. Adding them to my events calender in my email program. Mucho appreciated ladies. Alayne, I see you’ve been wearing your thinking cap. *waves*
Hiya Robyn. Keep calm and submit, right?
[…] Last month, I won a professional in-depth critique from Alayne. She’s also started a blog series, ALL ABOUT SUBMISSIONS…which is, as you can guess, all about submissions. It debuted today with a fabulous post by […]
Thanks for the shout out Vivian. Enjoy achieving that long list of goals, because I know you are going to.
Thanks for this list and for all your hard work!
Thanks, Romelle!
sweet list! Thank you.
So glad you like it, Anna. I appreciate you letting me know.
Nice collection! Thanks, Sylvia, for laying it all out for us.
Jumping Juniper! It’s January & a juicy way to begin.
Such a mighty fine calendar from Sub Sixers from a mighty fine writer, Sylvia Liu. Thank you, Sulvia & Alayne.
I look forward to each month’s boost. Thanks for scheduling me in May.
Thanks Jan for your support. I look forward to your May guest post.
[…] CONTESTS AND OTHER SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS BY SYLVIA LIU […]
thank you Sylvia and Alayne
Wonderful post, Sylvia! I tend to forget about contests…this was a timely reminder. 😉
Reblogged this on My Journey as a Writer. and commented:
Good evening fellow writers!
I was searching the web for information about the Chheerios
Spoonful of Stories Contest which led me to fellow
Wordpress blogger Alayne Kay Christians site. Http:/www.alaynekaychristain.wordpress.com. You will like the post. Unfortunately it looks like the Cheerios contest will not be held this year. I hope you will enjoy Alayne’s post. So until next time…William out!
Thank you for sharing our post on your blog, William. Our current announcement that there will be no Cheerios Contest this year is based on their latest information at http://www.blog.generalmills.com/2014/05/bringing-books-to-breakfast-and-beyond/. Of course, if we learn more about the contest, we will post updates.