Contests

Update as of April 22, 2019: Congratulations to the contestants shortlisted in the Secret Kids Book Contest. Stone Soup is no longer involved in the process but we’re very excited for the shortlisted contestants and wish them the best of luck in the judging process. To follow the contest’s next stages, and to ask any questions about the contest,  please visit the Nancy Gee Book Facebook page. Original Contest announcement (contest now closed) Stone Soup is working with MacKenzie Press, publisher of The Secret Series of children’s books, on an exciting new book-writing and book-illustrating contest. The winners of this children’s writing competition will be awarded their own book deal. Their books will be professionally published by MacKenzie Press, and offered for sale and distribution in bookstores. Aspiring young authors and illustrators can submit anything from children’s picture books, early readers books, middle grade fiction and chapter books, and young adult novels, entered in one of three age ranges: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Any form–from from text-only to illustrated book to graphic novel– or genre–from realistic fiction to fantasy or sci-fi–will be considered. Manuscripts will be judged by the MacKenzie Press publisher and Stone Soup editors. Finalists will then be chosen from each entry category who will work with MacKenzie Press to edit and rework their manuscripts. One winner(s) will be chosen from each age range. Categories: There are three entry categories, based on the author/illustrator’s age. Entry age is based on your age as at September 1, 2018. Elementary: Grades 1-5 (ages 5-10) Middle school: Grades 6-8 (ages 11-13) High school: Grades 9-12 (ages 14-18) Length: Dependent on type of book and target audience. See details below and at the contest entry page. Deadline: February 1, 2019, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time). Entry form: You must enter using the official contest entry form here (scroll to the bottom of that page). Please note that page still shows the old deadline date of January 1, but you will still be able to submit your entry up to the new closing date of February 1. Entry fee: $30 per entry. Finalists’ shortlist announced: April 15, 2019. Winners announced: June 15, 2019. Prizes: The following prize will be awarded to one winner in each of the three categories: A book publishing deal from publisher MacKenzie Press. A cash prize of $1,000 A one-year subscription to Stone Soup Questions: If you have any pre-submission questions, please write to the contest organizers: contest@anancygeebook.com.   More information Some of the types of book you might consider submitting: Children’s picture books Reader age range: 2-6 years old Page count: 20-32 pages long Word count: 0-600 words We will accept: text-only stories, stories with illustrations and text, or illustrations-only (editor will assign illustrator to winner) Early reader books Reader age range: 4-8 years old Page count: 40-80 pages long Word count: 100-2500 words We will accept: stories with illustrations and text, or text-only stories (editor will assign illustrator to winner) Chapter books Reader age range: 6-12 years old Page count: 80-180 pages long Word count: 4,000 for younger readers, up to 12,000 for advanced readers We will accept: stories with illustrations and text, or text-only stories (editor will assign illustrator to winner) Middle grade fiction Reader age range: 12-16 years old Page count: 80-240 pages long Word count: 20,000-60,000 words We will accept: stories with text-only (editor will assign illustrator to winner) Young Adult fiction novels Reader age range: 14+ years old Page count: 80-240 pages long Word count: 40,000-80,000 words (more for fantasy novels) We will accept: text only

First Place ($50):  “The Pendulum” by Sabrina Guo, 12 Second Place ($25): “The Sycamore Tree” by Mira Johnson, 8 Third Place ($10):  “A Dinner Party” by Anyi Sharma, 10 Fourth Place ($5): “The Hummingbird” by Clare McDermott, 12 Honorable Mentions: “Symbiotic” by Madeline Pass, 13 “Potato Diaries” by Christian Goh, 10 “The Mystical Trees” by Hannah Lee, 10 A cat literally watching time pass. A magical tree that heals and protects an injured bunny being chased by a dog. A mysterious hermit who throws a lavish dinner party. A hummingbird whose light, joyful presence delights the whole forest. These are descriptions of the stories that won our short short fiction contest—and a very small sample of the range of stories we received. We were amazed, reading these submissions, at how much can fit into 300 words. Some entries chose to focus on describing a moment or scene in sparkling, clear prose. Others chose to tell an action-packed narrative. Both types worked, and both felt much longer than the word limit. Short short fiction, or flash fiction as it is also called, reminded us of a clown car: each story managed to pack in so much more than I thought possible. We want to directly thank everyone who had the inspiration to write a story and the courage to submit it to our contest. Your excellent, imaginative writing made our choices very difficult. We encourage all of you to continue writing and to submit your work to us again soon. Flash fiction is an excellent genre to work in, especially if you are new to writing fiction. Repetition is the mother of learning—and the shorter the story you are writing, the easier it will be to keep repeating and keep learning. Congratulations to all of you, and especially to our winners and honourable mentions. Look out for publication of some of their stories on the website and in Stone Soup soon!

For this contest, we want you to create a piece of visual art made with words. ‘Swan and Shadow’ by John Hollander (1969) Many readers understand a concrete poem to be a poem that takes the shape of its subject—a poem about a swan in the shape of a swan, for instance. Though that is certainly a type of concrete poem, a concrete poem can also be more than that. A concrete poem is a piece of art to which both the visual and the written element are essential. With just the image (no words), you lose something, just as with only the words (no image), you lose something. A concrete poem is one you need to see as well as hear! See our second example. It does not depict the outline of any recognizable shape. However, it is visually interesting, and the interplay between the words, letters, and the layout creates a piece of art. ‘A Sonnet in Motion’ by Paula Claire Contest Details Length: You may submit a packet of 1-3 concrete poems per entry. Deadline: September 15, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time). Results: We will select three winners. Prizes: We will award Amazon vouchers to three winning entries: First place $50 Second place $25 Third place $10 Publication: We will consider all poems submitted to the contest for potential publication.