Competitions Close 13 April
Hatchlings (8 to 18 year olds)
Writing for the children's and young adults' markets
Eligibility
All writers and illustrators who are 8 – 18 years old (as of 13th April) worldwide, who have not been published in book format within the section’s genres.
All entries must have a parent or guardians’ electronic signature of permission on the entry form.
Categories
H01) Picture Books – Text only for preschool or primary-aged children up to 500 words and pitch.
H02) Chapter Book* (Judged as one category. The classification is for judging purposes only.)
Text only for younger primary-aged children. First 1,000 words, pitch and a 600 word synopsis.
Text only for older children (Middle Grade). First 1,000 words, pitch and a a 600 word synopsis.
Fiction writing for Young Adults. First 5,000 words, pitch and a 600 word synopsis.
First-round judging: The first 1,000 words, pitch and synopsis are read by the CYA judges.
Final judging: The final judge will read your pitch, synopsis and the full 5,000 words.
H10) Writing for the Adults Genres - click here.
We recommend you read the competition guidelines prior to submitting your entries.
Entry and Prizes
Prize for each section
First - $100,
Second - $60,
Third - $40
All Hatchling entries have historically gone in front of a professional editor, but this is not guaranteed.
Publication
If the winning entry and short-listed finalists are judged by a publisher of children’s books, there is no guarantee of publication. The author retains copyright.
Entry is Free
IMPORTANT: There are no age barriers in this competition, and all entrants are judged equally.