SLUSH PILE CHALLENGE April 2018 Results
Peter Marley, Senior Commissioning Editor, Picture Books at Oxford University Press set the following challenge:
"Write a picture-book text that stars an irresistible central character that will instantly appeal to children and look great on a book cover – whether that is a human child, animal, fantastical creature or inanimate object! The story could be any theme at all but something that the picture-book readership and their parents can relate to. Text length to be around the 400-750 word count mark; and paginated in 12 spreads if you can."
Peter Marley |
We received ninety-seven entries from members across British Isles and Europe for this competition. Peter agreed to read all of the submissions. This is what Peter told us when announcing the results:
“There was huge variety in style and
voice, and of different types of characters, but what underpinned all the
entries without exception was a sense of the writers having a genuine love of
picture books and an impulse to tell stories with children’s best interests at
heart.
I’m delighted to announce that my
winning text is WHEN THE HUGGALUMPH HULLABALOOED by Zoë
Armstrong – a story featuring an enchanting
character, a magical setting, and a reassuring message for children whose
innocent behaviour (in this case, a tendency to be very loud indeed) might
cause friction with others and lead to feelings of isolation.
The premise of this story is unique
and drew me in, the voice is bold and distinctive, the language is musical and
lyrical, there is tension throughout, and the story contains meaning that young
children will be able to relate to. Furthermore, the imaginative setting and
originality of the characters provides strong visual potential too, which is
incredibly important for picture-book texts.
Honourable mentions must also go to PRINCESS
JACK by Liz Kashyap – a really attention-grabbing and
intriguing character and premise that seems ripe for further development; CROC-A-DOODLE-DOO
by Becky Wilson – an amusing story
about a crocodile egg that rolls into a hen’s nest, with a lovely message about
belonging; THE UNICORN WHO WOULDN’T YAWN by Kerry Trickett – an enchanting tale of a little unicorn whose
magical bedtime routine mirrors that of a child’s in the real world; and,
finally, JUST ANNA by Helen
Dineen – which tackles the complicated subject of Asperger’s syndrome in a
simple way without feeling patronising or tokenistic.
Additionally, I was really impressed
by how many of the rhyming texts featured a clear message (in my experience,
this vitally important if they stand any chance of being translated). With
rhyming texts, I often find that the rhymes themselves take over and drive the
narrative, causing the plot to wander off in different directions that don’t
serve the initial premise. But that wasn’t the case here – so many of the
writers managed to marshal the rhymes to serve the plot.
The stories that I found least successful
generally lacked a message or clear purpose. I’d urge all writers to think
about the core message of their story in terms of protagonist’s journey or
psychological transformation. For me, the best picture books are driven by the
character going on a journey – physical or geographical but also spiritual and
emotional – and, during that journey, undergoing a personal metamorphosis. I’d
recommend that writers consider their stories from this perspective as they
develop them further.
Many congratulations to everyone who
took part in the challenge. I very much enjoyed reading your stories over the
last few weeks. It’s clear how much fun you’ve had and I hope you all continue
to pour your passion into writing for children.”
Congratulations to Zoë Armstrong from all of us
at Words & Pictures. We hope she is well on her way towards
getting her story published.
Well done to the four writers for getting a honourable mention – Liz Kashyap, Becky Wilson, Kerry Trickett and
Helen Dineen.
Thanks to everyone who entered. Keep writing and we hope you will be
encouraged to try your hand at appropriate competitions.
Peter Marley has fifteen years’ experience in commissioning and editorial roles across children’s publishing, including picture-books, pre-school publishing, licensed-character brands, and novelty formats, Prior to his present role, Peter has been an editor at Egmont UK and Top That! Publishing. At Oxford University Press, Peter's role as Senior Commissioning Editor, Picture Books, is commissioning and editing picture books and implementing strategies for growing the picture-book list both in the UK and internationally.
congratulations Zoe and well done the runners up. I didn’t get a mention but just wanted to say thanks to Peter, and also for the very helpful comments you took time to include.
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