FAQs

Stories that suit the contemporary picture book format aimed at babies and toddlers (1–3 years) or young readers (3–7 years). 

Entries should be narrative-based. In the baby and toddler category the narrative may be very simple. We are not looking for entirely non-narrative books such as first-word books.

In general, entries should also:

• • Have a strong distinctive voice

  • Feature a memorable, authentic-feeling Black or mixed-Black main character

  • Be well-structured stories with a clear beginning and satisfying ending

  • Be written in either rhyme or prose

  • Be uplifting and light-hearted, humorous or thought-provoking 

  • Feel original and relevant to 21st-century children

  • Not have historical, distressing or overtly anti-racist themes

  • Be appropriate to the chosen age range category

We live in a multi-ethnic society, so it's perfectly acceptable to include a small diverse cast if your story demands it. But Black protagonists must drive the story. They may be heroes, problem-solvers, adventurers or everyday children who are caring, playful, brave, intelligent, tenacious, energetic or witty.

They mustn't feel like white characters with brown faces: they need to be rooted in the story with a clear background that reflects their unique cultural/ethnic experiences, ie believable Black characters being themselves. And when using cultural/ethnic references, they must be non-stereotypical and naturally integrated.

We do not want stories with animal main characters or heavily referencing Black pain or suffering. And we're not looking for non-narrative poetry, non-fiction, historical fiction or any chapter books. 

The clue is in the name 'picture books'. We don't want lengthy passages of text on each page. We have set word limits in each category but don't feel you need to use all these words to tell your story. Only use the precise number of words required to say what you want to say really well.

Your text should be pared back to suit the contemporary picture book or board book formats, leaving space for the illustrations to evoke a mood, contradict your text or add layers of meaning.

For more guidance on writing a picture book, check out these brilliant blogs: Picturebooks - from idea to submission by Oliver Hope and The Purple Crayon by Harold Underdown. 

If you are still unsure where to start, we recommend you watch our help videos (coming soon).

The number of pages in the final published book can vary depending on the page size, layout and quantity of illustrations, so it's easier to think in terms of word count: 

• Baby and toddler books (1–3): between 100 and 200 words

• Picture books (3–7): no more than 700 words (between 350–700 words is ideal)

Here's a very rough guide on average words per page for each format:

• For a baby and toddler book, plan for around 6 words per page (or 12 words per double-page spread)

• For a picture book, plan for around 25 words per page (or 50 words per double-page spread)

You can vary the number of words on each page — variety is good. But if you are regularly exceeding the above word limits per double-page spread, your script may start to feel too long for your chosen format.

Do this page-planning in your head or perhaps use our 12-page-spread planner. You do not need to add page breaks into your actual manuscript. (See our Five-Day Formatting Fix videos for more info.)

After planning, you can see our free Word template to help ensure you submission is formatting professionally. 

Note: only include illustration notes if they are integral to your story, ie the story text on the page won't make full sense without them. 

Books for babies and toddlers are much simpler, focusing on basic concepts and familiar everyday experiences (for instance bedtime or mealtime). 

These special picture books contain minimal text, often using single words, short phrases and a combination of both. Rhyming, repetition and sound play are common to encourage early speech development.

Baby and toddler books are typically be produced as board books with thick, durable pages that can withstand chewing and rough handling. Board books encourage sensory exploration, basic sound-letter recognition and early motor skills (turning pages, pointing at objects). They also support early bonding through shared reading.

Classic baby and toddler books include Where's Spot? by Eric Hill and Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. These examples give a good idea of the basic level of narrative used in baby and toddler books.

More contemporary examples include Too Green! by Sumana Seeboruth, illustrated by Maribel Castells, and the Zeki... series by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Ruth Hearson.

Yes. We welcome self-published titles produced from January 2022 onwards, but please send text-only versions of your book with all illustrations stripped out. If you submit your manuscript with illustrations, your entry will be ineligible.

Your manuscript will be read by experienced children's authors, librarians, editors, publishing or English literature MA/Phd students and school teachers including members of the Black community. They will select a longlist to be scrutinised by Fabia Turner, our prize director. A shortlist will then be created by a smaller team of highly experienced readers. Our expert panel of judges from across the book industry will anonymously select the winner. 

We believe there should be more quality, contemporary children's books featuring authentic Black main characters, written by Black-British authors. The Jericho Prize aims to make this happen by encouraging Black-British writers to share their stories. 

We recognise that unpublished/self-published Black-British writers need a prize just for them, that offers a space to craft and showcase their stories to the world. Black-British authors are already underrepresented and the Jericho Prize directly addresses this issue in a way that a generic prize for all writers of colour may not. 

Black-British children need to see themselves reflected realistically in books. Reading more texts by Black-British authors may inspire children to write and, hopefully, become future Jericho Prize winners.

Research shows the percentage of children's books featuring Black main characters doesn't reflect the current number of Black-British children in primary school. We need more stories to redress this imbalance, and we'd like to give Black-British writers first dibs at creating these texts for this prize. 

Of course, as a writer, you should feel free to portray whatever characters you like. We don't believe writers of any ethnicity should be pigeon-holed. Please only submit your work if you have a strong desire to tell a story with a Black character in the starring role. 

We don't want you to rely on illustration briefs to tell us your main character is Black. We are challenging you to weave this knowledge naturally into your text so we get a sense of your three-dimensional character.  

If we opened the competition to all writers of colour, take-up from certain Black-British communities might still be low. We want all Black-British children's writers to feel welcomed and inspired. If you are not a Black writer, check out the FAB Prize which is open to all writers and illustrators of colour.

If the problem persists, please email us at jerichoprize@gmail.com.