The Commonword Children’s Diversity Writing Prize welcomes submissions from unpublished children’s authors whose writing embraces ethnic diversity either through their own ethnicity and culture and/or in their writing. The winner of the prize will receive a £500 cash prize, professional mentoring and £100 worth of Puffin books of the winner’s choice.

ELIGIBILITY

     1.  All entries must be submitted in the English language.
2.  All entries must be original and the author’s own unaided work.
3.  Only one submission per entrant – please see the Submission Process below for detailed guidelines.
4.  Submissions must not infringe any copyright or contain defamatory or otherwise unlawful matter.
5.  All entrants must be over the age of 16 and a permanent resident in the United Kingdom.
6.  Only debut children’s fiction writers may submit work for consideration. A debut children’s fiction writer is defined as a writer who has not had a children’s novel or collection of short stories accepted for publication or published before the closing date above.
•   Authors with only picture books published are eligible**.
•   Authors who have only published non-fiction books or who have only been published in newspapers, magazines, anthologies or non-print medium (i.e. radio, web, etc.) are eligible**.
•   Authors who have self-published are eligible **.
•   Authors with adult fiction published are eligible**.
•   Authors who have been commissioned to write children’s fiction which was not their own idea, under a pseudonym, are also eligible**.
** Full details of any previously published work must be included with the author biography, in order to confirm eligibility.
7.  It is a condition of entry that any entrant whose submission is accepted for publication by any publisher anywhere in the world between the closing date for entries and the date of the award ceremony will immediately withdraw their entry by notifying the organizers via admin@cultureword.org.uk.
8.  The closing time and date for the competition is 23:59.59 on 29 February 2012 and submissions will not be accepted after this date.

SUBMISSIONS PROCESS

     1.  All submissions to be submitted electronically to admin@cultureword.org.uk with the subject heading: ‘Commonword Children’s Diversity Writing Prize entry’.
2.  Only one submission per entrant.
3.  Once received, entries cannot be amended.
4.  Entries must be a maximum word count of 4,000 words and must be the first 4,000 words of an already finished novel.
5.  Submissions should be typed in font Times New Roman, font size 11, in a Microsoft Word document format with numbered pages.
6.  Submissions must bear the title of the entry in the “Header” of each page.
7.  Entries must include a synopsis of the work (up to 500 words), which includes age guidance for the novel of either 7–9 years, 9–11 years or young adult.
8.  Entries must include a short biography of the author (up to 200 words). In addition to this word count, full details of all previously published work must be included with the author biography, as in point 6 of Eligibility criteria above.
9.  Entries must include the total word count of the novel.
10. Any submissions that do not comply with the terms and conditions as here detailed or include the appropriate information will be disqualified.
11. The closing time and date for the competition is 23:59.59 on 29 February 2012.

Further details here.

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