Well, now this is exciting! The Pitch It! Competition is back for its third year running! And the team at Just Write For Kids Australia are deliriously overjoyed to share the new developments this year!
If you’re like most writers, you’re probably itching for the chance to skip the slush pile and get your manuscript directly on the desk of a publishing editor. I’ll bet you also wouldn’t mind your manuscript appraised by one of these professional assessors. Am I right? Well, believe it or not, now you can have the chance to jump ahead of the rest simply by writing a knock-out pitch!
Here’s what you need to know to enter…
OPEN
September 1, 2020
CLOSING
September 30, 2020
ENTRY CATEGORIES
Three separate categories are open to cater for your specific writing preferences. You will have the chance to enter into any or all of the following:
a) Picture Book Category (PB)
b) Junior Fiction / Middle-Grade Category (JF/MG)
c) Young Adult Category (YA)
ELIGIBILITY
All writers within Australia, published or unpublished in the children’s book industry.
Each entry will be based on the pitch of an unpublished manuscript. That is, the manuscript you are pitching for is NOT already published.
PRIZES
Winners:
The PICTURE BOOK WINNER will have their pitch and accompanying manuscript forwarded to their choice of publisher, EITHER:
Diane Evans, publishing editor of Big Sky Publishing
Anouska Jones, publishing editor of EK Books
James Layton, publishing editor of Larrikin House, also offering a 15-minute Zoom session, or
Clair Hume, children’s commissioning editor of University of Queensland Press
PLUS
FREE access to best-selling author and presenter, Adam Wallace‘s Short Courses for Authors
The JUNIOR FICTION / MIDDLE GRADE WINNER will have their pitch and accompanying manuscript assessed by EITHER:
Diane Evans, publishing editor of Big Sky Publishing, or
Clair Hume, children’s commissioning editor of University of Queensland Press
PLUS
FREE access to best-selling author and presenter, Adam Wallace‘s Short Courses for Authors
The YOUNG ADULT WINNER will have their pitch and accompanying manuscript assessed by:
Diane Evans, publishing editor of Big Sky Publishing
PLUS
FREE access to best-selling author and presenter, Adam Wallace‘s Short Courses for Authors
Runners Up:
The PICTURE BOOK RUNNER UP will have their manuscript assessed by Sally Odgers of Affordable Manuscript Assessments and Editing Services
The JUNIOR FICTION/ MIDDLE GRADE RUNNER UP will have their manuscript assessed by Justine Barker of Mayfair Literary Agency
The YOUNG ADULT RUNNER UP will have their manuscript assessed by Sally Odgers of Affordable Manuscript Assessments and Editing Services
BRIEF and SUBMISSION GUIDELINES*
*Entries that do not follow the specific guidelines outlined will be compromised.
Write a pitch for a children’s manuscript to a publisher. Be creative! Be interesting! Provide a captivating hook! We are looking for pitches that jump off the page and excite us. Make us want to know more!
IMPORTANT: Please follow these specific guidelines:
- Word count must be between 100 and 150 words.
- Entries must be typed, set to Times New Roman font, size 12 point.
- Entries must be in English.
- The pitch is written for either a picture book, chapter book (JF or MG), or young adult manuscript.
- The pitch must include (and are included in the pitch word count):
– manuscript title
– manuscript word count
– specific genre (PB, JF, MG, YA)
– target market
– your hook / blurb
– comparative title/s
- DO NOT include author biographies or identifying details.
- Your name DOES NOT appear on the pitch entry.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Multiple entries are accepted. Please Note: We are only accepting a maximum of TWO (2) entries PER CATEGORY. A third entry, and thereafter, in the same category will be withdrawn.
- You CAN enter up to 2 entries for Picture Books AND 2 entries for Junior Fiction/Middle Grade AND 2 entries for Young Adult.
- Each entry must be submitted with separate entry emails and payment.
- Submissions are to be emailed to jwfkcompetition (AT) gmail (DOT) com:
In the Subject Line:
JWFK Pitch It Competition Entry_(Your Name)_(Your Category)
In the Body of the Email:
Your Name
Your Manuscript Title
Your Phone Number
Attachments:
- Pitch Entry document as .doc or .docx saved with manuscript title (NO name).
- Proof of payment (screenshot image)
Payment and Receipt:
- Payment of $8.50 per entry (includes transaction fee) is payable at the time of submission to paypal.me/justkidslit.
- All entries will receive acknowledgement upon receipt via email within 24 hours. Incomplete entries will receive a second chance via email to complete within 24 hours, thereafter will be disqualified.
- By entering this competition, you agree to the terms and conditions listed in these guidelines.
FEEDBACK
We are providing feedback to each of the three SHORTLISTS ONLY. We cannot provide feedback for other entries.
Please see below links for help with writing a strong pitch.
JUDGING
Entries will be judged by the following industry professionals:
PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY
Award-winning, highly accomplished author, Robert Vescio
Picture book author and 2018 Pitch It! Winner, Stef Gemmill
Picture book author and conference presenter, Katrina McKelvey
JUNIOR FICTION / MIDDLE GRADE CATEGORY and YOUNG ADULT CATEGORY
Award-winning author, Kate Gordon
Award-winning author, Nadia L King
Judges’ decisions are final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
NOTIFICATIONS
The winners will be announced on the Just Write For Kids website and social media pages by mid November 2020 (TBC).
QUESTIONS
Please contact us at jwfkcompetition (AT) gmail (DOT) com with any questions.
DISCLAIMER
The winning entries are not guaranteed publication by Big Sky Publishing (PB, JF/MG, YA), UQP (PB, JF/MG only), EK Books (PB only) or Larrikin House (PB only). Completed manuscripts must be ready for submissions upon announcement of competition winners and runners up. It is up to the discretion of the participating publishers and assessors to return feedback in their own time – please be patient in receiving replies. All entries will be discarded after competition close.
HELPFUL ARTICLES ON WRITING A PITCH
- http://www.justkidslit.com/six-top-tips-on-how-to-write-childrens-manuscript-pitches-that-editors-want-to-read/
- http://www.justkidslit.com/pitching-tips-from-the-experts-in-the-know
- https://writingnsw.org.au/pitch-perfect-pitching-tips-from-belinda-murrell/
- https://writerssa.org.au/blog/how-to-pitch-your-book-to-publishers
One thought to “Pitch It! Competition 2020”
Oooh! This is sooo exciting!