Hey writers! We need diverse books. We really do. So... Lee & Low Books, award-winning publisher of children's books, is now accepting submissions for the fifteenth annual New Voices Award writing contest. Each year, the award is given to a children's picture book manuscript by a writer of color.
The New Voices Award winner receives a cash prize of $1000 and Lee & Low's standard publication contract, including a basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner will receive a cash prize of $500. Manuscripts will be accepted through September 30, 2014.
Here are some more details about eligibility and submissions:
Eligibility:
1. The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published.
2. Writers who have published work in venues such as children’s magazines, young adult, or adult fiction or nonfiction, are eligible. Only unagented submissions will be accepted.
3. Work that has been published in any format, including online and self publishing, is not eligible.
4. Manuscripts previously submitted for this award or to LEE & LOW BOOKS will not be considered.
Submissions:
1. Manuscripts should address the needs of children of color by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another.
2. Submissions may be FICTION, NONFICTION, or POETRY for children ages 5 to 12. Folklore and animal stories will not be considered.
3. Manuscripts should be no more than 1500 words in length and accompanied by a cover letter that includes the author’s name, address, phone number, email address, brief biographical note, relevant cultural and ethnic information, how the author heard about the award, and publication history, if any.
4. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced on 8-1/2” x 11” paper. A self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage must be included if you wish to have the manuscript returned.
5. Up to two submissions per entrant. Each submission should be submitted separately.
6. Submissions should be clearly addressed to:
LEE & LOW BOOKS
95 Madison Avenue, Suite 1205
New York, NY 10016
ATTN: NEW VOICES AWARD
7. Manuscripts may not be submitted to other publishers or to LEE & LOW’s general submissions while under consideration for this award. LEE & LOW BOOKS is not responsible for late, lost, or incorrectly addressed or delivered submissions.
Dates for Submission: Manuscripts will be accepted from May 1, 2014, through September 30, 2014, and must be postmarked within that period.
For further information and submission guidelines, and to learn more about last year's New Voices Award winner (as well as all winning works from the past fourteen years), head over to the Lee & Low website.