Deadline: 31 May 2012
(Note: The Guardian - Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize is open to writers residing anywhere in the world. The publishing contract with the winners will be in line with industry standards and a royalty advance of £10,000 will be offered.)
The Guardian and Hot Key Books are launching a search for the next generation of writers of children’s fiction with the Guardian Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize.
We are looking for new young writers between the ages of 18 and 25, who write in either of two categories: for ages 9-12 or 13-19. Entrants should be unpublished talents new to the literary world that are passionate about writing for children. The winners, one for each age category, will be selected by a panel of judges who will consult with school children. Each winner will be given editorial support and the chance to be published by Hot Key Books.
A judging panel comprising of representatives from the Guardian, Hot Key Books, booksellers, school children and authors representing both age groups will be announced at the end of April. Submissions of partial manuscripts will be accepted from 30 April and close on 31 May, with a second stage of full manuscripts in October.
Competition entries should be sent to
youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com before 31st May. No paper entries will be accepted.
COMPETITION RULES
GENERAL
1. The Guardian Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize competition ("Competition") will be governed by these competition rules ("Competition Rules"). By completing an application form and submitting that form together with an entry to the Competition, entrants agree that they have read and understood the Competition Rules and will be bound by them.
2. The promoter of the Competition is Hot Key Books Limited (company number: 07735953), whose business address is Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0AT ("Hot Key Books"). Hot Key Books' media partner is the Guardian newspaper ("the Guardian").
3. Hot Key Books reserve the right to exclude entrants and withhold prizes for any breach of any of the Competition Rules.
4. The relevant panel of judges for each category in the Competition may decide, in their absolute discretion, that none of the entries are suitable for publication and award an alternative prize in accordance with these Competition Rules.
TIMINGS
1. The Competition will run from midnight (UK time) on Monday 30 April 2012 to midnight (UK time) on Monday 15 April 2013.
2. The Competition will have four stages:
Stage 1 – Submissions will be accepted from midnight (UK time) on Monday 30 April 2012. The closing date for submissions will be midnight (UK time) on Thursday 31 May 2012.
Stage 2 – Hot Key Books will notify 10 longlisted entrants in the 9-12 category and 10 longlisted entrants in the 13-19 category by midnight (UK time) on Friday 21 September 2012. Full manuscripts will be submitted by those 20 (in total) longlisted entrants by midnight on Monday 1 October 2012.
Stage 3 – Hot Key Books will notify 5 shortlisted entrants in the 9-12 category and 5 shortlisted entrants in the 13-19 category by midnight on Monday 26 November 2012, to include a draft form of publishing contract with Hot Key Books for review. The entry manuscripts from those 10 (in total) shortlisted entrants will be sent out by Hot Key Books to the relevant judging panel on Monday 3 December 2012. Any shortlisted entrants wishing to withdraw from the Competition at this stage will notify Hot Key Books by midnight on Friday 30 November 2012.
Stage 4 – Hot Key Books will notify Competition Prize winners by midnight (UK time) on Friday 1 March 2013. The deadline for Prize winners to acknowledge the email from Hot Key Books notifying them that they have won will be midnight (UK time) on Friday 8 March 2013. Winners will be announced by Hot Key Books at the London Book Fair 2013 between Monday 15 and Wednesday 17 April 2013.
ENTRY CRITERIA
1. The Competition is open to writers residing anywhere in the World aged 18 or over but under 26 at the time of submission of an entry in accordance with the submission criteria below. Staff of Hot Key Books or the Guardian and their respective associated, affiliate or subsidiary companies, and their families, agents, or anyone connected in any way whatsoever with this Competition, are not permitted to submit an entry.
2. Entry is limited to one (1) submission per eligible person. Entries must be by electronic submission to the Competition's designated email address youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com. Submissions by post or hand delivery will be void and will not be returned.
3. Apart from the manuscripts of those entrants who are offered a publishing contract with Hot Key Books, all other manuscripts held by Hot Key Books and the Guardian will be destroyed following the Competition.
SUBMISSION CRITERIA
1. Entries must be the unaided original work of the entrant and not previously commercially published and/or distributed, and must not infringe the rights of third parties or be libellous, defamatory or obscene. The entrant must not previously have had commercially published any work of fiction, but may have had published an essay, story or poem in an anthology. Self-published works are allowed but entrants must not have published under any other name, nor must they have ghost-written a published work of fiction. The entrant must personally submit the entry.
2. Entries are not permitted from any entrant who has an agent. In addition, any entrant who appoints an agent during the Competition must immediately notify Hot Key Books and will be withdrawn from the Competition.
3. Entrants are permitted to enter the same manuscripts for other competitions, but must immediately notify Hot Key Books if they are shortlisted for such competitions and Hot Key Books reserve the right to withdraw such entrants from the Competition.
4. The Stage 1 submission will be the first 4,000 (four thousand) words of a manuscript. No substitutions will be accepted once the entry has been made.
5. The entry must be made in either the 9-12 category or the 13-19 category. Hot Key Books reserve the right to move entries between categories if deemed appropriate.
6. Each entry must be submitted together with a brief synopsis. The synopsis should be no more than one (1) page and should give an overview of the complete story including key characters, events, themes and settings.
7. Entries must be in the English language on a Word or PDF document in 12 point type, double-spaced and with numbered pages, and include the name of the entrant and the manuscript title on each page. Each entry and an application form must be attached to the body of the email. Entries set out within the body of the email will not be accepted and will be void.
SELECTION CRITERIA
1. All Stage 1 entries will be read by members of the Hot Key Books team who will then select a longlist of 10 entries for the 9-12 category and 10 entries for the 13-19 category (a total of 20 entries) who will then move onto Stage 2.
2. Stage 2 - Hot Key Books will notify each of the longlisted entrants by email and will require them to submit the full manuscript pertaining to their entry. Out of the 20 longlisted entrants (10 in each category), a final shortlist of 5 entries for the 9-12 category and 5 entries for the 13-19 category (a total of 10 entries) will be chosen by senior members of the Hot Key Books editorial team who will then move onto Stage 3.
3. Stage 3 - Hot Key Books will notify each of the shortlisted finalists by email and will submit the 5 9-12 category entry manuscripts to the 9-12 panel of judges and will submit the 5 13-19 category entry manuscripts to the 13-19 panel of judges. The shortlisted finalists must provide Hot Key Books with proof of their age by way of a copy of a passport, driving licence or otherwise, to be sent by email to youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com.
4. The shortlisted finalists will receive details of the Competition Prize, namely a draft form of publishing contract with Hot Key Books for review. If a finalist decides to withdraw from the Competition at this stage, they will notify Hot Key Books by email to the designated email address (youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com).
5. Stage 4 - The winner for the 9-12 category and the winner for the 13-19 category will be chosen by a separate panel of judges, both of which will include representatives of authors, journalists, booksellers, school children and Hot Key Books. At least one member of each panel will be demonstrably independent of both Hot Key Books and the Guardian. The members of the two panels of judges may be subject to change and are not guaranteed by Hot Key Books.
6. The decisions made by each of the panel of judges are incontestable and final and binding on the entrants and no correspondence will be entered into. The winners will be notified by email or by telephone. The winners are required to respond to that email to confirm that they wish to accept the Prize. If Hot Key Books is unable to make contact with the winner (by email or telephone) having used its reasonable endeavours or the winner does not wish to accept the Prize, the relevant panel of judges reserves the right to award the Prize to an alternative shortlisted finalist.
7. After notification of winning the Prize, each Prize winner must keep the fact confidential until the Prize is announced at the London Book Fair, and if they fail to do so, Hot Key Books reserve the right to forfeit their Prize.
THE PRIZE
1. There will be two overall Prize winners, one from the 9-12 category and one from the 13-19 category.
2. The Prize is the offer of a worldwide publishing contract for each winner with Hot Key Books (subject to negotiation). If the negotiation with a winner is unsuccessful, that winner will be entitled to receive the alternative prize. See the further details below.
3. The two winners will be the shortlisted finalists whose manuscripts are deemed by the relevant panel of judges to be of the highest quality, originality and suitability for children of the ages cited for the 9-12 category and for the 13-19 category.
4. In the event that the relevant panel of judges, Hot Key Books and the Guardian deem that none of the entries are suitable for publication, the relevant panel of judges will nevertheless select an entry in accordance with these Competition Rules and award an alternative prize. That alternative prize will be a full and detailed editorial consultation with a senior member of the Hot Key Books editorial team, including creative and technical advice on the submission, in order to prepare that manuscript for open submission to agents and other publishers.
THE PRIZE WINNERS
1. The winners of the 9-12 category and the 13-19 category agree to give an interview which may be published by the Guardian and Hot Key Books in any of its publications in both hard and digital form.
2. The 10 (in total) shortlisted finalists agree that Hot Key Books may use their name, photograph, age and general location for publicity and news purposes relating to the Competition and future competitions.
3. Entrants retain all rights to their submissions, except in the case of the winners from whom Hot Key Books reserve first rights of publication. The winners will retain the copyright to their respective submissions and shall exclusively license worldwide publishing rights of the full manuscript to Hot Key Books on completion of the publishing contract.
4. The publishing contract with the winners will be in line with industry standards and a royalty advance of £10,000 will be offered.
5. The winners are responsible for all other costs incurred as part of or relating to the Prize including but not limited to all beverages, spending money, meals, travel costs and any tax liabilities.
6. There is no cash or other alternative prize available, and the Prize is not transferable.
7. Hot Key Books reserve the right at any time to cancel, modify or supersede the Competition if in its sole discretion the Competition is not capable of being conducted as specified.
8. For names of the winners, contact Hot Key Books on the Competition's designated email address youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com.
9. The Competition and the Rules are governed by English law and any dispute is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For enquiries: youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com
For submissions: entries should be sent to youngwritersprize@hotkeybooks.com
Website: http://hotkeyblog.wordpress.com/