UNDISCOVERED VOICES 2020 Details and Deadlines

Get ready for the seventh Undiscovered Voices competition!

Will you be one of the next Undiscovered Voices? 

SCBWI British Isles is gearing up for the next Undiscovered Voices. Authors from the six previous anthologies have received publishing contracts for nearly 250 books and have been nominated for or won more than 150 literary prizes.

The Undiscovered Voices anthology will include at least twelve fiction extracts – from early readers up through young adult novels – from SCBWI members in the UK and EU. The anthology will be published in February 2020 and sent free of charge to editors and agents whose focus is children’s literature. The book is produced with the financial support of Working Partners Ltd, a London-based company that creates series fiction. 

Will your work feature in the next Undiscovered Voices anthology?

Submissions will be accepted between 1st June to 15th July 2019 via an online submissions process. There is no submissions fee, but only unagented and unpublished members of SCBWI living in the UK and Europe (writing in the English language) are eligible. Check out full criteria here. 

We are thrilled to announce this year’s stellar judging panel:

Helen Boyle, Literary and Illustration Agent at Pickled Ink
Aimée Felone, Co-founder of Knights Of
Annalie Grainger, Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books
Stephanie King, Commissioning Fiction Editor at Usborne Publishing
Polly Nolan, Literary Agent at Greenhouse Literary Agency
Alice Sutherland-Hawes, Children’s Agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency
Clare Wallace, Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency

Are you ready?
A number of events have been scheduled to help you prepare and make the most of this opportunity. 

Thursday 9 May 2019
7 – 8 p.m. 
Free, online kick-off vvent on Facebook
On the SCBWI TV British Isles Facebook Page

The event will consist of a panel discussion with five of this year’s judges, who will offer valuable advice for those planning to submit to the anthology. To attend, you must be a member of SCBWI in the UK or EU and sign up for the event on the British SCBWI website. 

Please note: This is event is on a new, private Facebook page. When you sign up, you will receive an email with a link to the Facebook page. You must register AND click the link on the email invitation. 

Even if you can’t make the 9 May event, sign up for the event anyway. A video of the panel discussion will be available on the private Facebook page for a few days after the event. Also we will post tips, advice and updates between now and when submissions open. It’s also the place to ask question and connect with other SCBWI writers who plan to submit. 

Thursday 16 May 2019
8 p.m.
Twitter chat
Former Undiscovered Voices authors and current committee members will be available to answer your questions about the submissions process and guidelines and offer advice on submitting to Undiscovered Voices. To join in, follow @SCBWI_BI and use #scbwichat

[If you are unfamiliar with SCBWI-BI’s twitter chats, here’s a useful article on how it works.

Thursday 23 May 2019
8 p.m.
Twitter chat
A few of this year’s judges will be available to discuss what they are looking for and what makes a submission stand out. To join in, follow @SCBWI_BI and use #scbwichat

Helpful links
We’ve compiled some great information on the Undiscovered Voices website. We also update the ‘News’ section regularly: 
Tips for Writers
Frequently Asked Questions
News and Updates

Stay Informed
For more details and to sign up for news and updates on Undiscovered Voices, visit www.undiscoveredvoices.com