Submission guidelines

Jericho Prize for Children's Writing 2025

• Entry is FREE

• Authors must live in the UK and be aged 18 or over at the time of entry; there is no upper age limit

• You must identify as Black-British, ie of African, Caribbean or mixed heritage Black

• Your submitted manuscript must be your own original work and should not have been published previously by a traditional publisher; and you yourself must not be, or have been, under contract with any publisher or literary agent for writing books

• You cannot enter translated or co-written manuscripts

• You can submit multiple entries although only one can be shortlisted

• Previous Jericho Prize winners are not eligible for entry

• Stories can be written in rhyme or prose

• Stories must feature at least one human Black or mixed-Black main character 

• Your word count must be no more than 700 words (excluding the title page and any illustration briefs)

• Historical fiction and non-fiction submissions are not eligible

• Your manuscript must be written in the English language with UK spellings and a legible 12pt font  

• You must include a title page at the start of your document including your name, story title and word count

• Please use the following file-naming convention: your_story_title_firstname_surname.doc

• Self-published work can be submitted if it was self-published from January 2021 onwards. Self-published work will be judged purely on the basis of the text. Please send a text-only version of your book WITHOUT any illustrations

• Send your manuscript in a Word doc or PDF file (max. file size 1MB) via the form in the How to enter section

NOTE: If your submission does not meet ALL the above entry criteria, it will NOT be considered.

• The publishing contract will be offered on the strength of the winner's demonstrable writing talent and does not automatically guarantee publication of their winning manuscript. Instead, the winner may be asked to work with Scholastic UK to develop a new manuscript for publication

• Each writer will get a confirmation email to say their manuscript has been received (do check your Junk folder)

• Longlisted writers will be notified by email and shortlisted writers will be notified by phone

• The longlist and shortlist will be published on this website and social media

• The winner and shortlisted writers must be willing to participate in promo/media opportunities during and after the competition

• The winner will be announced at our online awards ceremony in 2025

• IMPORTANT: the submission window opens at 9am (UK time) on 2025 and the deadline for submissions is 12pm (midday, UK time) on 2025. Entries received before or after the submission window will not be considered

• The judges' decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into

• The Jericho Prize reserves the right not to award a prize should a suitable winner not be found, and reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions without notice

If you have any questions about our submissions process, please check our FAQs first. Alternatively, you can contact us at jerichoprize@gmail.com.