Chapter book competition launched by Searchlight Writing for Children Awards

A new competition for the Best Chapter Books aimed at five to eight-year-olds is being launched by the founders of the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards. The winner will receive £350 and a one-to-one call with Katie Blagden, agent at the The Bright Agency, who is judging the prize. 

The award, which will open on 16th November 2023 and close on 1st February 2024, is aimed at unpublished writers. Shortlisted stories will feature in Searchlight’s Agent/Publisher Pitch Book, which is sent to agents and publishers to help writers get noticed. Last year’s Pitch Book led to entrants of other Searchlight prizes receiving 21 full manuscript or new picture book requests after the competitions, according to the organisers. 

The competition was created to address a lack of competitions for books aimed at early readers. Searchlight said it decided to launch the awards after consulting its social media followers to gauge the demand for a chapter book competition. 

The Searchlight Writing for Children Awards were launched in 2021 by author Kim Donovan, with the aim of the creating opportunities for unpublished children’s authors. The organisers run two annual competitions, comprising Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults and Best Picture Book Text, as well as occasional competitions such as Best Illustrated Picture Book.