Deadline
Monday, June 22, 2020
Categories
Children’s, Fiction, Nonfiction
Prizes
First Place: $1,000 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, a tote bag from Free Spirit, and a meeting with Mary Taris, founder of Strive, and an editor from Free Spirit to discuss the winner’s project. The winning submission will be seriously considered for publication by Free Spirit, cobranded with Strive; however, publication is not guaranteed.
Second Place: $500 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, and a tote bag from Free Spirit
Third Place: $250 cash prize, a T-shirt from Strive, and a tote bag from Free Spirit
Description
Sponsored by Strive Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing
The contest is open to authors of African American heritage who are residents of Minnesota and at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age.
Eligible entries will include original fiction or nonfiction manuscripts for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring contemporary African American characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development.
All entries must be your original work, unpublished, and not accepted for publication anywhere at the time they are entered in the contest. Please include the following items in your entry:
-Picture book text along with illustration ideas
-A letter briefly describing your book, specifying the intended audience (including age range), and telling why you decided to write it
-A brief biography and current email address