The Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival and the Salariya Book Company have opened their 2020 Children’s Picture Book Prize for submissions.
The competition, which launched in 2017, is open to unpublished writers and illustrators, with a prize value of £1000. The winner will receive career advice from a leading literary agent and publicity through the Stratford Literary Festival, and the winning entry may also be lucky enough to be published by Salariya imprint, Scribblers. The final date for entries is 31st January 2020 and the winner will be announced in late February.
The 2019 winner, Look Daddy Look by Manlu Tu, a graduate of the Cambridge School of Art, will be published by Scribblers in spring next year. Camille Whitcher, the previous year’s winner, had her book, Luna and The Moon Rabbit published to top critical acclaim in April 2018 and has been stocked by bookshops in the United States.
The panel of judges for 2020 includes David Salariya, Founder and MD of The Salariya Book Company; Annie Ashworth, Director of The Stratford Literary Festival; the award-winning author Philip Ardagh; children’s festival programmer Jane Churchill, leading literary agent for children’s books, Jodie Hodges of United Agents, and Tamsin Roswell, bookseller at Kenilworth Bookshop, in Warwickshire. A further name will be announced.
‘It is very exciting to be launching our fourth year of the book prize,’ said Annie Ashworth, Stratford Upon Avon Literary Festival Director. ‘Sharing stories with children has never been more important and we are delighted to be offering authors and illustrators the chance to get their work seen and possibly published.’
‘We’re very pleased to be partnering once again with the Festival on the prize,’ said David Salariya, ‘and we are very excited to be publishing Manlu’s charming book. Hopefully the 2020 entries will be as strong as 2019 and we look forward to seeing them.’
For details on how to apply go to stratlitfest.co.uk/bookcompetition
Image: Look Daddy Look cover detail