WELCOME TO THE MO SIEWCHARRAN PRIZE 2023
Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf is running the Mo Siewcharran Prize for its fourth year to help discover unpublished fiction writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds.
For 2023, the prize will be hosted by Hachette Children’s Group, and we are looking for fiction writing in the picture book genre.
WHAT IS THE PRIZE?
The initiative, named in memory of Nielsen BookData’s former director of marketing and communications, aims to nurture talent from under-represented backgrounds writing in English. Run as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf scheme, the prize was launched in 2019.
For more updates on The Mo Siewcharran Prize 2023, follow us on Twitter @MoPrize
#MoPrize2023
KEY DATES
8th February 2023 – Submissions open
8th May 2023 – Submissions close
26th June 2023 – Longlist announced
11th September 2023 – Shortlist announced
28th September 2023 – Winner announced
Please contact mosiewcharranprize@hachette.co.uk for any queries.
HOW TO ENTER
Thank you for your interest. The competition for 2023’s Mo Siewcharran Prize has now closed. Keep an eye on our Twitter page @MoPrize to find out more about the winners.
CRITERIA FOR ENTRY
Entrants must be unagented at the time of entry and previously unpublished, aged 18 or over, resident in the UK and from a Black, Asian, mixed heritage or minority ethnic background.
The judging criteria is as follows:
The text must (in Hachette Children’s Group’s opinion):
• Be a well-written work of fiction (both prose and rhyme texts are acceptable)
• Sit firmly in the picture book genre for 3-5 year-olds
• Have a strong hook or theme
• Introduce a memorable character or characters
• Have a strong plot
Other entry requirements are that the entry must:
• Be submitted using the Word template provided here to entrants or as a PDF
• Be 500-700 words of text
(Writer-illustrators may also submit three pieces of finished, full colour artwork as part of their entry but writers submitting a text-only entry will not be at a disadvantage)
• Be in English
• Be in a legible font and font size
Entries must be submitted by midnight on the 8th May 2023.
Full terms and conditions are available here.
PRIZES
The winner will receive £2,500 prize money plus,
• A detailed letter from an Hachette Children’s Group picture book editor (and, if artwork has also been submitted, a designer) giving feedback on their entry;
• Introductory meetings with at least two different literary agents;
• An introductory session with the Hachette Children’s Group rights team;
• A meeting with the Hachette Children’s Group marketing and publicity teams;
• A ticket to London Book Fair 2024
The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to an Hachette Children’s Group acquisitions meeting and considered for full publication with a competitive advance against royalties. Hachette Children’s Group does not guarantee that the winner will be offered a publishing contract.
The runner up will receive £1,500 prize money plus,
• A detailed letter from an Hachette Children’s Group picture book editor (and, if artwork has also been submitted, a designer) giving feedback on their entry
• A hamper of HCG books with a value of up to £200
The writers of up to six shortlisted entries will be invited to attend a one-hour online picture book workshop with an Hachette Children’s Group picture book editor. An Hachette Children’s Group 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.
The prize is sponsored by John Seaton, Mo Siewcharran’s husband and co-founder of the prize, and Nielsen BookData.
THE JUDGES
• Emma Layfield, Picture Book Development Director, Hachette Children’s Group
• Smriti Halls, bestselling author
• Nila Aye, bestselling illustrator
• Emily Talbot, literary agent at United Agents
• Jake Hope, children’s book consultant
• Meera Ghanshamdas, co-director at Round Table Books
• Plus an Hachette Children’s Group editor or designer
ABOUT HACHETTE CHILDREN’S GROUP
Hachette Children’s Group is one of the largest children’s publishers in the UK, with an excellent track record in creating bestselling and award-winning books for children. The Group aims to cater for every child, with baby and pre-school books, picture books, gift, fiction, non-fiction, series fiction, books for the school and library market and licensed publishing and comprises the imprints Hodder Children’s Books, Orchard Books, Orion Children’s Books, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Quercus Children’s Books, Laurence King Children’s Books, Pat-a-Cake, Wren & Rook, Franklin Watts and Wayland Books. Hachette Children’s Group is also the publisher of author Enid Blyton, and the owner of Enid Blyton Entertainment.
The Group publishes a wide range of authors and illustrators, including: Smriti Halls, Dr Ranj, Kes Gray, Jim Field, Lauren Child, Rachel Bright, Nila Aye, Dean Atta, Giles Andreae, Guy Parker-Rees, Benjamin Zephaniah
and Pippa Curnick.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does unpublished mean?
For this prize, unpublished means you have never had had any book previously published by a publisher or self-published in any format (and are not under contract to have your work published).
Am I eligible?
You are eligible for this prize if you are 18 or over, a UK resident and from a Black, Asian, mixed heritage or minority ethnic background. You must also be unagented and unpublished at the point of submission. Full terms and conditions are available here.
Please contact mosiewcharranprize@hachette.co.uk for any queries.
#MoPrize2023
Good luck!