Prize launched for undiscovered picture book talent

Stratford Literary Festival and independent publisher The Salariya Book Company are launching a prize for new picture book authors and illustrators.

The prize, created to mark the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival's 10th anniversary in 2017, is open to author/illustrators or author and illustrator teams based in the UK. The only stipulation is that entrants must not have previously been published and distributed online or in bookshops.

The winner will have their book published by Scribblers, an imprint of The Salariya Book Company, and receive an advance of £5,000 against royalties. They will also win guidance from children’s literary agent Jodie Hodges of United Agents.

“As a festival, we are passionate about championing new writers and illustrators, and about sowing the seeds of a love of reading at a young age, so a prize seemed the perfect way to do this,” said Anne Ashworth, director of the Stratford Literary Festival. “We have always been quite ground breaking as a festival, having published a YA novella and run an online interactive story in 148 characters. We also publish a book of winning stories and poems in our creative writing competition each year. This prize, however, will be more ambitious than anything we have done before.”

The entries will be judged by David Salariya, founder of The Salariya Book Company; Anne Ashworth, director of the festival; author/illustrators Nick Butterworth and Sarah McIntyre, who is also the Festival’s guest children's director for 2017; Tamara Macfarlane, owner of Tales on Moon Lane; and Ashley King, illustrator and bookseller at Waterstones.

The deadline for entries is 12th January 2017 and the winner will be announced in February. Full details on how to enter are available on the festival website.