Hachette Children’s Group to host Mo Siewcharran Prize 2023 with focus on picture books 

This year’s iteration of the Mo Siewcharran Prize will be hosted by Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) and focus exclusively on writers and writer-illustrators in the picture book genre.

The Mo Siewcharran Prize, named in memory of Nielsen BookData’s former director of marketing and communications, was co-founded and sponsored by her husband John Seaton and aims to nurture talent from underrepresented backgrounds writing in English.

Sponsored by Nielsen BookData it is run as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf scheme and is hosted by different divisions of the publisher each year. Last year it was hosted by Quercus and focused on the crime and thriller genre. Foday Mannah won for The Search for Othella Savage.

Submissions will open on 8th February 2023. Entrants must be unagented at the time of entry and previously unpublished, aged 18 or over, resident in the UK and from a Black, Asian, mixed heritage or minority ethnic background.

Entry requirements are a complete picture book text (500–700 words) to be submitted by 8th May 2023 to the competition website.

Criteria for the prize will be a submission that is a well-written work of fiction (in rhyme or prose) with a strong hook or theme, that introduces a memorable character or characters, has a strong plot and sits firmly in the picture book genre for three to five year-olds.

Writer-illustrators may also submit three pieces of four-colour artwork as part of their entry but writers submitting a text-only entry will not be at a disadvantage as it is primarily a writing prize, the organisers say. 

The winner will receive £2,500 prize money plus a detailed letter from an HCG picture book editor giving feedback on their entry (and, if artwork has also been submitted, feedback from a designer).

They will also have introductory meetings with at least two different literary agents, an introductory session with the HCG rights team, meetings with the HCG marketing and publicity teams, and a ticket to London Book Fair 2024.

The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to an HCG acquisitions meeting and considered for publication with a competitive advance against royalties. One runner up will receive £1,500 prize money, plus a detailed letter from an HCG picture book editor giving feedback on their entry (and, if artwork has also been submitted, feedback from a designer) and a book hamper of HCG books up to the value of £200.

The writers of up to six shortlisted entries will be invited to attend a one-hour online picture book workshop with an HCG picture book editor. An HCG designer will also attend if artwork has been submitted by any of the writers of the shortlisted entries. The workshop is a reward for the writers of the shortlisted entries and is not part of the judging process to select the winner and runner up.

Seaton said: “While the purpose of the Mo Siewcharran Prize remains constant, a dedication to assisting unpublished writers from under-represented backgrounds, its range, in terms of genres, continues to be happily roaming: from fiction, to crime fiction, and this year a very marked and exciting new direction: children’s picture books. Mo herself would have loved this adventurousness, and would have been thrilled by the particular focus for 2023.”

Emma Layfield, Hachette Children’s Group, picture book development director, North, said: “Hachette Children’s Group is delighted to be hosting the Mo Siewcharran Prize this year, which was founded by Sharmaine Lovegrove and launched with Dialogue Books.

“We are committed to diversifying our picture book list and finding and publishing more writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities. It’s so important that the youngest readers see themselves reflected in the books which are shared with them. The Mo Siewcharran Prize is a great opportunity for us to open our doors further and nurture talent from under-represented backgrounds.”

A longlist of up to 10 entries will be chosen from entries and the shortlist will be judged by Layfield, alongside literary agent Emily Talbot of United Agents,author Smriti Halls, illustrator Nila Aye, co-director of Round Table Books Meera Ghanshamdas, children’s book consultant Jake Hope plus an HCG picture book editor or designer. The winner and runner-up will be selected by the judges from the shortlisted entries.