Entry Rules

Our Entry Rules 2024

Please read our rules of entry before entering the competition. As all entries must be anonymous, please remember to check your name does not appear anywhere on your manuscript or synopsis, including title pages, headers and footers.

• Our 2024 novel competition will be open to entries at Midnight on 1st October 2024. We close to entries at midnight GMT on 1st January 2025. If you are entering from overseas, please note the competition opening and closing times are based on GMT (UK) time.

• The competition is open to writers over the age of eighteen, of any nationality and resident in any country. However, all entries must be written in English.

• Sponsored places for under-represented writers applies to all nationalities worldwide. Our sponsored place portal to apply for sponsored entries opens at midnight on 1st October 2024 and closes at 9am on 1st December 2024 to allow our team time to process any last minute entries. Unfortunately anyone applying for a sponsored place after this time, will not be approved and no correspondence can be entered into. Please do not apply for a sponsored place unless you are ready to enter the competition. One sponsored place only is permitted per person.

  For initial submissions we accept: The text of:

• Picture books - up to 3 picture books per entry fee of £29 of up to 600-800 words each, with the overview of each book pasted after each excerpt. Please note: PB can be of any word count as long as they do not exceed 800 words each. Please save the document with the name of the first PB that appears on your submission.

• First chapter books - initial 5000 word entry and 500 word synopsis pasted at the end of the excerpt.We accept this is sometimes the full word count of a FCB but we wish to give FCB writers the same value for money in terms of feedback received on word count. If 5000 words is the full novel then you will receive feedback on the full 5000 words.

• Middle-grade novels - initial 5000 word entry plus 500 word synopis pasted at the end of the excerpt.

• YA and children’s fantasy novels - initial 5000 word entry plus 500 word synopis pasted at the end of the excerpt.

  Entries should be text only in word document without any photographs or artwork. or illustrations. Please note we do not accept PDF’s.

• Please submit your work followed by a 500 word synopsis on the SAME document so that the synopsis is pasted directly underneath your 5,000 words and headed ‘Synopsis.’ Please include plot spoilers in your synopsis. Your synopsis will not be published or discussed at any time. Please format your document in word format only including your synopis to 12 pt. font and 1.5 line spacing in Times New Roman.

• Please save your document as the name of your novel and not your name. For example: The Game of Thrones. Your name should not appear on the document that you upload, we identify you via your unique ID number which is generated when you enter. Please ensure there are page numbers on your manuscript. If submitting 3 picture books the page numbers will be continuous.

• You may go over or under the submission word count by up to 100 words either side in order for you to finish the submission in the best possible place. You may also go over or under the synopsis word count by 50 words. We don’t penalise for less word count or more word count, providing it does not go under or over, the above guidelines.

• Long-listed novels will be announced at 2pm UK time on 4th March 2025. We ask all longlisted writers to send us the whole manuscript by 12th March 2024. For picture book writers we ask for the same three PB you entered originally with no illustrations.

• Shortlisted novels will be announced at 2pm UK time on 15th April 2025.

  *As a guide for full manuscripts if long-listed/shortlisted, we recommend 500 – 800 words per picture book, 6-10,000 for a chapter book, 40-60,000 for middle grade, 50-70,000 words for YA and 80,000-110,000 for Children’s fantasy novels.

• Entrants keep full copyright of their work. However, by entering the competition, the writer gives Cheshire Novel Prize Kids permission to post a small first chapter extract of all shortlisted entries on our website, plus the novel titles and names and novel titles of our longlisted entrants. Having this published on our website does not affect your chances in the future of securing a publishing deal or an agent.

• Entries must be the entrant’s original work and written in English.

• Entrants must not be employed by The Cheshire Novel Prize. Entrants who are employed by our judges or their organisations may not apply.

• Entries may not be altered after submission.

• The entry fee is £29 per novel. If you pay for an entry and do not submit your work on time, we cannot refund you. You may withdraw your entry at any time, but we cannot refund you the entry fee.

• Our long-list and shortlist and winner announcements are announced on our X account (Twitter), our website and instagram on the 1st June at 2pm UK time. If your novel’s name is not featured on our social media announcements or listed on our blog as being longlisted or shortlisted, then you have not been long-listed or shortlisted. Shortly after each announcement we will send out a mail shot. Please do ensure you subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates.

• Unfortunately we cannot enter into any correspondence about long-listing or shortlisting.

• By accepting the long-listing or shortlisting you are giving us permission to publish your excerpts, photograph, an interview and an instagram live. There are no exceptions to this, even if you are shortlisted for another competition whose winner is due to be announced later than Cheshire Novel Prize Kids announcements. However, long-listing or shortlisting for other competitions is permitted.

• Once Cheshire Novel Prize Kids has announced the winning book titles, you may say you have been shortlisted or long-listed, but please do not identify your work. If commenting on long-listing/shortlisting on Twitter, please make sure any novel titles are not on your social media headers.

• The overall competition winner will be announced at 2pm on 1st June 2024 and awarded £1000. One highly commended writer will be announced and win £500. If more than one writer wins or is highly commended, the prize money will be split between the winners.

• Shortlisted writers may be invited to a lunch in Cheshire in conjunction with our adult prize in September/October 2025. If for any reason due to geography or inability to travel, shortlisted writers can join remotely. We will post the winners names on our website and social media with interviews and excerpts.

• In common with other awards for unpublished and self-published novels, the judging agents may contact long-listed or shortlisted writers before the winner is announced. However, the winner will have been decided internally before this point, and all entries will have been judged anonymously.

• Any writers offered representation after entry, and/or before the winner is announced, must inform us via email at entry@cheshirenovelprize.com but you need NOT withdraw. However, entrants must be un-agented at the time of submission.

• Our agent showcase is open to all writers who make the top one hundred of entrants, our long-list and our shortlist only. There is no need to resend your entry as we enter the same submission to the showcase as you entered for the competition. Unfortunately we cannot accept any edited versions after submission; your original entry will be posted on our showcase. If you have made our Top 100, you will be notified by email once the LL is announced.

• The agent showcase starts on 15th June 2025 and is open until 1st September 2025. No correspondence can be entered into about our agent showcase. If you are eligible, all we ask is that if you are picked up by an agent, you let us know and give us permission to publish this on our social media. Details of our agent showcase can be found on our writing tips page.

• Unfortunately we cannot enter into any correspondence as to why your entry was unsuccessful other than the feedback provided after the competition has closed for entries. Nor can we enter into any correspondence about your feedback or answer specific questions about the feedback, nor provide page numbers or specific paragraph references.

• Feedback will be sent to all entrants by 30th August 2025 latest. Our feedback is thorough and takes time. Please do be patient with our team who have always provided feedback within the timelines stated. Only email us if you have entered Cheshire Novel Prize Kids and you have not received your feedback by the 30th August 2025. Please ensure you add us to your address book and check your spam or junk folders before contacting us.

• Any writers entering a document by mistake can contact us within 12 hours of submission and we can help you to submit the correct documents. If there is a technical fault on our website and you cannot submit before the deadline, please send us timed screenshots and an email and we will help you to submit. Your email must be dated and timed before we close at midnight on 1st January 2025. Please email us at entry@cheshirenovelprize.com

• The judge’s decision is final and no further correspondence can be entered into.