LEAP YEAR OPEN COOP!
Do you wish you had a professional editor on board to help you develop your children’s novel or idea? Well, this opportunity might just be for you!
We’re delighted to announce a 24-hour open submissions period here at Chicken House, for finished or unfinished debut novels for children aged 7 up to (and including) YA, for the chance to gain mentorship from a member of our editorial team.
Writers selected during past Open Coops include Alison Weatherby (The Secrets Act) and Sabine Adeyinka (Jummy at the River School), both of whom went on to sign publishing contracts with Chicken House!
What we are offering
Our editorial team (consisting of Rachel Leyshon, Barry Cunningham and Shalu Vallepur) will pick their favourite submissions to receive feedback and mentoring. We’d love to help you develop your idea or draft into a fully-fledged children’s novel with expert editorial input.
How to submit
In order to submit, please create a single Word document including the following material and email it to opencoop@chickenhousebooks.com between 12:01am and 11:59pm (UK time) on 29 February 2024.
A cover letter of no more than a page, single spaced, including a short pitch for your story, a little about yourself, and how far along you are with writing the novel.
A synopsis of not more than a page, single spaced, describing the story you’re writing from beginning to end (no cliff-hangers!). If you haven’t decided on the full synopsis yet, that’s OK – you can detail as much of the story as you have planned.
Either the first 1,500 words or the first three chapters of your novel (whichever is longest).
Please ensure the title of your email follows this format: OPEN COOP: [Your name] [Your title]
Entry is FREE!
Please note that due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to entrants individually either to confirm receipt or if you have been unsuccessful. We will only be in touch if we are interested in moving forward with your submission.
What to submit
Although we encourage submissions of children’s and YA novels of all themes and subjects, here are a few ‘wish list’ items from two of our editors …
Rachel would love to see something from underrepresented groups, new perspectives, and animal stories for any age.
Shalu is interested in fantasy stories, Middle Grade or YA, that offer a fresh perspective. Own voice stories centred around culture and identity (especially food!) are always encouraged!
We can’t wait to hear about what you’re working on!
FAQs
Will I receive a confirmation email once I’ve submitted?
No – unfortunately we don’t have the ability to confirm receipt of your entry.
Can I send more than one novel/pitch?
No – Open Coop is limited to one submission per person.
Will you let me know if I’m not successful?
We will be in touch with those we’d like to take forward within 3 months of entry. Sadly if you haven’t heard from us by then, you have been unsuccessful on this occasion – but please try again next time!
Do I have to have written the full manuscript already?
No – if you have then that’s great, but at this point we’re just looking for a great idea and a sample of your writing.
What’s the difference between the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition and Open Coop – and can I enter Open Coop if I’ve already submitted to the Competition?
The Times/Chicken House Competition (which is currently open for unagented submissions) is for a full manuscript, there is an entry fee and the prize is a publishing contract. Open Coop is a much more casual affair, and not a competition – it’s for manuscripts at all stages of development, it’s free, and we’ll be looking at submission samples and offering mentorship rather than a formal prize. It’s fine for you to submit to Open Coop as well as the Times/Chicken House – even if it’s with the same book – particularly as they are assessed by two different teams of readers.
I’m under 18 – am I able to submit?
Unfortunately not – for legal reasons you must be over 18.
I don’t live in the UK. Am I eligible to submit?
Yes. We welcome all entries.
Can I submit my short story/poetry/graphic novel/picture book/non-fiction work?
No. Chicken House publishes children’s/YA fiction for ages 7+.
I have a literary agent? Can I submit?
No. Agented authors are not eligible to enter – after all, we accept ordinary submissions via all established literary agencies.
I have previously had published a short story/poem/picture book/non-fiction/academic title. Can I still enter?
Yes, you are eligible as long as you haven’t had a full-length children’s novel commercially published, anywhere in the world.
And the winners of the 2023 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition are …
Yesterday was a very exciting day for the Chickens – not only did we host our Big Breakfast event (in which we introduced our industry pals to our 2024 authors) but we also hosted the Times/Chicken House Competition judging panel … AND announced the winners!
The judges meeting resulted in some fantastic, thoughtful feedback from our panel, which consisted of chairman and publisher Barry Cunningham, The Times reporter and children’s book critic Lucy Bannerman, Co-Head of Lime Picture’s Kids and Family Tim Compton, agent Davinia Andrew-Lynch, author Frances Hardinge, scout and festival organiser Jane Churchill, Bounce sales rep CJ Gajjar, and Waterstones Children’s Team campaigner Lucy Jakes. A huge thank you to each one of our judges for their time and attention on our seven shortlisted manuscripts – you are all stars!
Well, the time has come …
DRUMROLL PLEASE!
The winner of the Times/Chicken House Competition 2023 is …
Marisa Linton with THE POUKA KING
And the winner of the Lime Picture’s prize is …
Asli Jensen with LOVE ON SIGHT
Many congratulations to you both – we can’t wait to start working with you on your stories!
Congratulations, too, to the rest of our shortlist for reaching the final seven – any two of you were capable of winning and debate among the judges was very healthy! We’ll be providing all of you with detailed feedback based on the panel’s thoughts.
Watch this space for details of the 2024 competition, which we’re planning to open in December.
Meet the Judges for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2023!
It's time to reveal our all-star lineup of judges for the 2023 competition ...
The 2023 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition is now open!
Hot on the heels of our 2022 winner's announcement, we’re so excited to share that the submissions portal for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2023 is OPEN!
Times/Chicken House Competition 2022 Shortlist Reveal!
The Times/Chicken House shortlist is here!
Times/Chicken House Competition 2022 Longlist Reveal!
The Times/Chicken House long list is here!
The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition 2022
With the dust finally settling from our 2021 winner's announcement, we’re so excited to share that the submissions portal for The Times/Chicken House Competition 2022 is OPEN!
And the winner is ...
There's been lots of lively discussion this week as our panel of judges gathered to discuss this year’s incredible Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition and IET 150 Award shortlists. The journey to choosing our winners was no easy task ... (more…)
The 2021 Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition
Hot on the tail of our 2020 winner announcement, we’re so excited to declare the new Times Competition OPEN!
This year, we’re introducing a brand new prize in partnership with the wonderful Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Here are the basics about the two prizes on offer in 2021…
The Times/Chicken House Prize
The prize you already know and love – a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a £10,000 advance (subject to contract) for a complete fiction manuscript of any genre for children aged 7 up to YA. The winning entry will be the novel that, in the opinion of the judges, demonstrates the greatest entertainment value, quality, originality and suitability for children.
The IET 150 Award
A brand new prize to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the IET in 2021! The IET 150 Award will be awarded to a complete fiction manuscript for children aged 7 up to Young Adult that broadly explores or celebrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The prize is a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a £10,000 advance (subject to contract).
The good news is, you don’t need to do anything extra to be considered for the IET 150 Award; simply enter the competition as normal and our expert team of readers will do the rest. Simple!
The deadline is 14th May 2021 at 11.59pm GMT. Time enough to polish off that manuscript you’ve got languishing in the bottom drawer… or maybe even to write a new one…
For more details on the competition, both prizes, and instructions on how to enter, please visit our submissions page. We can’t wait to read your novel – good luck!
The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2020 winners are …
After a great deal of um-ing, ah-ing and lively discussion by our panel of judges on our incredibly competitive shortlist, the moment has finally arrived ...
The 2020 Times/Chicken House long list is here!
2020 has been… pretty weird so far. But thank goodness, there are still some things you can rely on: writers will write, readers will read, and the wheels of the annual Times/Chicken House Competition will keep on turning.
Sure, we’re running a little late (thank you, public health crisis) but better late than never – and we are very proud to announce this year’s absolutely stonking long list!
Our 18 longlisted manuscripts are an even split between middle-grade and teen/YA. We’re incredibly proud of this diverse bunch of novels whose settings include India past and present, Egypt, London, 1990s Russia, a dystopic near-future, a clockwork shop, a magical island, a time loop, and a haunted house.
These stories are peopled with characters as marvellous as they are relatable – a lion highwayman, a pirate captain, a carer robot, a would-be alchemist, a maid-turned-master-criminal, an amateur sleuth, a reluctant agony aunt, a YouTube star, and a spider sidekick. And that’s to name but a few! So, without further ado, here is the 2020 longlist:
Adjay and the Mumbai Rail Times by Varsha Shah
Clockwork Magpies by Emma Whitehall
Dandy Paws the Highway Lion by Stephanie Sorrell
Don’t Ask Me by Catherine Mallette
Eye Spye by Sophie Stewart
Kali’s Kismet by Dev Kothari
The Boy and the Wolf by Tom Mann
The Elephant Heist by Rucha Dixit
The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Cook
The Girl Who Cared by Caitlin Sanderson
The Hangman’s Daughter by Kathryn Nelson
The Networked Wonderland of Us by Sarah Gibson Yates
The Other Ones by Fran Hart
The Precarious Potions of Kitta Quint by Mandy Rabin
The Rise and Fall of Priya and Paul by Beatrice Anobah
The Way to Zaubery by Katie Allen
Things I Learned While I Was Dead by Kathryn Clark
Waiting in the Wings by Harriet Parsons
Huge congratulations to our talented longlisted authors. We hope to announce the shortlist by the end of the month, so watch this space – and keep an eye on our social media accounts – for more news.
And the winner is ...
Friday 6 September was a very exciting day for Chicken House: our esteemed panel of judges gathered in London to discuss this year’s incredible Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition shortlist and decide on the winner. (more…)
Presenting our shortlist!
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the shortlist announcement! (more…)
The Times/Chicken House longlist is here!
WOW – what a year! (more…)
ONE MONTH to go ...
There is just one month left to enter the special tenth anniversary Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition, which closes on 28 February. Are you excited? (WE ARE!) (more…)
An ode to writing competitions ...
Nicki Thornton's debut novel The Last Chance Hotel won the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition in 2016 and is currently Waterstones' Children's Book of the Month. Nicki has dropped by the blog to share how the competition changed her life ...
(more…)
THE 2018 TIMES/CHICKEN HOUSE COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN!
#TimesChickenHouse Competition: The Panel
We have a very exciting #TimesChickenHouse announcement on its way tomorrow... yes, a winner! But before we start the drumroll, we wanted to say a big thank you to our judges, who did a brilliant job of debating an incredibly competitive shortlist yesterday (more on that soon). Alongside our very own Publisher, Barry Cunningham, this fantastic panel of industry experts lent their expertise to the task, and we couldn't be more grateful. Here they are - can we have a round of applause, please? (more…)
The #TimesChickenHouse shortlist is here!
Our discerning Publisher, Barry Cunningham, has had the tricky job of picking out the top five longlisted submissions for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition shortlist. We don’t envy him: picking a longlist was difficult enough – the standard was truly spectacular! – but we’re pleased to say that he’s arrived at a decision. Drumroll please – our shortlist is … (more…)
Times/Chicken House: what we've read!
The submissions are read and the longlist announced, so we’ve finally had a moment to sit back and realise what an extraordinary number of entries we received this year – the most we’ve ever received. I asked our team of readers for their observations, as well as their thoughts for writers planning on entering the 2018 contest. Here’s what they’ve noticed … (more…)