SLUSH PILE CHALLENGE January 2025

 

We are pleased to announce the January 2025 Slush Pile Challenge set by 

Laura Bennett, Associate Agent of The Liverpool Literary Agency.

 

Laura Bennett

Laura Bennett developed a love of writing early, attending her first Creative Writing course at college. She then decided to study Writing at Liverpool John Moores University, (LJMU), obtaining a BA before pursuing a career in teaching. 

She began work at a college for young adults with special needs and then moved to a vocational college while studying for a post-compulsory PGCE. Laura taught English for a few years and also ran several Creative Writing courses before returning to LJMU to obtain an MA in Writing. She then worked as a teaching assistant at a local secondary school, before leaving that job to pursue a career in editing.

 

The combination of teaching and writing works extremely well for editing and for providing encouragement and guidance for writers. Laura also works as a freelance writer and she is currently the writer and loremaster for a video game in addition to writing for various roleplaying games.

 

The Liverpool Literary Agency started as an editing company with a diverse list of clients comprising accountants, taxi drivers, sport scientists, NHS workers and hospitality sector workers alongside more experienced writers with qualifications in Creative Writing or other literature-based subjects. 

These writers all had one thing in common – the publishing industry seemed inaccessible, London-centric and intimidating! So they knew that it was time to go beyond editing, especially as costs and contacts are the main barriers for many of their writers.

 

They were inspired by the report Common People: Breaking the Class Ceiling in UK Publishing which confirmed their belief that many promising authors see their careers stall in the face of limiting barriers, including ‘a lack of support networks and contacts, lower levels of self-confidence and the publishing industry’s lack of social diversity’.

 

Overall they’re here for under-represented writers and to support equality, diversity and inclusion in the publishing industry.

 

 

THE CHALLENGE

 

“My challenge is for an Upper YA, (teen and older), speculative novel – so fantasy, science-fiction or horror – from traditionally underrepresented authors. I’m especially interested in settings that aren’t in or based on the UK or USA. I would like to see a blurb, brief author bio and the first 500 words – and the novel doesn’t need to be completed.”

 

 

THE REWARD

 

Laura will pick a winner. She will arrange to have a 30-minute meeting with them. It will be in person, Zoom or a phone call.

 

CLOSING DATE: SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY, 2025 – 23.59 (GREENWICH MEAN TIME)

 

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

 

You need to be an un-agented, current SCBWI member and resident in either the UK or Europe.

 

If you win a challenge you can enter any other Slush Pile Challenges but not with the same manuscript.

 

To join SCBWI and take advantage of the many opportunities to raise your profile, market your work, meet fellow writers, artists and the gatekeepers to publication, while being supported in the development and pursuit of your craft, visit scbwi.org

 

If, between submitting your entry and the winner being announced, you gain representation from an agent please contact us at competitions@britishscbwi.org

 

 

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

 

1 Check that you are a paid-up member of SCBWI before submitting your entry by going to scbwi.org. 

Any entries received where member's details cannot be found on SCBWI records will not be included as a valid entry.

 

2 Send in your entry as a single Word Document to competitions@britishscbwi.org. 

Submissions to the Slush Pile Challenge should not be sent direct to the agent/editor/judge.

 

3 The document should only contain the blurb, brief author bio and the first 500 words of the novel the judge has requested. 

Do not include your name, address or email address in your word document or the document name. 

The word document should be named in the following format – 'your title' January 2025 Slush Pile.doc

 

4 Please do not insert a header or footer in your submission.

 

5 In the email please write your full name as it appears in SCBWI membership records and your email address. Also include the title of your work.

 

6 Shortly after you have submitted your entry you will receive an email from the competitions email address stating, 'Your entry has been received.' 

If you do not receive this message please send an email to competitions@britishscbwi.org. 

However we cannot put entries through after the closing date unless your entry is received on or before the closing date.

 

7 Only the first entry will be considered. Please do not send revisions, multiple entries or multiple attachments.

 

8 Any entries received after the closing date will automatically be disqualified.

 

 

THE PROCESS

 

As soon as the competition is closed it is necessary to generate a random selection using a computer program. All valid and verified entries received will be included irrespective of whether the entry was received on the date of the launch of the competition or on the closing date, or whether the entrant has previously had their submissions seen by an agent/editor/judge. 

This has to be done to ensure that there is no bias or pre-judging from SCBWI BI/SCBWI BI Words & Pictures editorial team when sending the entries for judging. 

The terms of the competition are that the judge agrees to read a minimum of fifteen entries from the number of submissions. In many cases the agent/editor/ judge requests to read more. When an agent/editor/judge requests to read fifteen or another proportion of the total entries, those chosen as the first ones to be read by the computer will be sent to him/her. 

Sometimes the judge may request a further selection of valid and verified entries before making their decision. When this occurs, to avoid bias, the next group of entries from the initial computer generated random selection will be sent to the agent/editor/judge. 

There are times when the judge requests to read all the entries and these are then forwarded to him/her/them.

The judge will pick a winner and also tell us why. Sometimes he/she/they may quote a few sentences or phrases from the winner's submission in the blog announcing the winner.

The winner will be put in touch with the judge so they can arrange the 30-minute discussion by Zoom or on the phone.

 

 

Good Luck Everyone!

                                                                                                                                                                                    *Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo

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The Words & Pictures team are aware that our members write for different ages and genres. With this in mind we endeavour to provide at least one Slush Pile Challenge a year that our un-agented members feel able to enter.

 

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Elaine Cline has been a SCBWI member for over eight years and loves to write picture books, middle-grade and teen books. She lives by the sea and has one dog.

 

Elaine is a member of the Words & Pictures editorial team, managing The Slush Pile Challenge.

 

Connect with Elaine on X (formerly Twitter): @elaineccline

 

Connect with Elaine on Bluesky: @elaineccline.bsky.social

 

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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures. 

Find their work at https://fourfooteleven.com 

Follow them on Instagram and X/Twitter 

Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org 

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Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures.

Follow her on Instagram and X/Twitter or www.titaberredo.com 

Contact her at: illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org