Contest and Open Agents Roundup for February 2016

Is your children's book manuscript ready to send off? Are you sure? Then here you go: a list of competitions and agents who are open to submissions RIGHT NOW.


A Roundup of Some Current Writing Competitions for Children's and YA Authors

Note: this listing includes only competitions that are open now or will open within one month. Please check dates and conditions carefully on each competition's own website.

These competitions are listed in order of deadline.

Kelpies Prize 
Submit: Children’s book set wholly or mainly in Scotland, in three age categories 6-14 
Prize: £2000 and publication
Deadline 29 February 2016  No entry fee

Writing for Nickelodeon Children's Television 
Submit: Script for comedic television series based on one currently on air (see guidelines)
Prize: Six-month paid internship in Los Angeles and London studios, mentoring and training
Deadline: 28 February 2016  No entry fee

Skylark Literary Tales for Teens competition
Submit: "Unputdownable read for 13-15-year-olds!"
Prize: One-to-one editorial critique (and amazing exposure: judges include Waterstone's children's book buyer, Scholastic's Children's Books senior commissioning editor, and Bloomsbury editorial director)
Deadline: 27 March 2016

Caterpillar Poetry Prize 
Submit: Poems for children aged 7-11
Prize: €1000 and publication
Deadline: 31 March 2016    Entry fee €30 per poem

Commonword Children's Diversity Writing Prize
Submit:
Prize: £500, Arvon course, mentoring by Marjacq Scripts
For debut children's fiction writers permanently resident in the U.K. only
Deadline: 6 June 2016  Entry fee: £10

More writers' competitions here, but unsorted by genre so many are only for adult writing.


Some Agents Currently Open to New Submissions by Children's Book Writers

These listings are alphabetical by agency name.

Conville & Walsh Literary Agency

Diamond Kahn & Woods Literary Agency

Dystel and Goderich Literary Management (U.S.)
Agent: Eric Myers

Fraser Ross Associates

Inklings Literary Agency (U.S.)

New Leaf Literary and Media (U.S.)
Agent: Peter Knapp

Red Fox Literary (U.S.
Agent: Stephanie Fretwell-Hill 

Miles Stott Children's Agency

Trident Media Group (U.S.)
Agent: Alexa Stark

Waxman Leavell Literary Agency  (U.S.)
Agent: Molly O’Neill

Eve White, Literary Agent



A New YA Publisher of LGBQT Books

Triton YA (U.S.)
Submissions



Awards for Published Books (you can enter your own book for these)

These competitions are listed in order of deadline.


Sunday Times, Dunlop Peters and Fraser Young Writer of the Year Award
Prize: £5000; three runners-up will receive £500 apiece
Submit: Full-length traditionally or self-published book of fiction, poetry or nonfiction
Conditions: Writer must be a British or Irish author 18-35
Deadline: 1 May 2016

ALCS Educational Writers Award
Prize: £2000
Submit: Non-fiction, traditionally published in the UK in 2014 or 2015, with ISBN number, for readers of 11-18
Deadline: 30 June 2016


PLEASE COMMENT! 

If you know of any currently open competitions for children's or YA book writers, or of any children's or YA agents currently open to submissions, please do add them in the comments section!