The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition
The UK's biggest writing contest for children's books
Calling all aspiring authors of children’s and young adult fiction! Have you written a story you think young readers will love?
The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition is the largest writing competition for children’s books in the UK, offering unpublished and unagented writers the chance to get their work discovered.
This annual contest is open to writers over 18 from anywhere in the world. If you have a completed full-length novel for readers aged 7-18, this is your opportunity to break into publishing.
Why Enter?
We're offering two incredible prizes:
- The Times/Chicken House Prize: A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House and a £10,000 royalty advance, plus a discussion about representation with agent judge Callen Martin.
- The Broken Binding Prize: For YA sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction. Includes a publishing contract with a £10,000 advance and a representation discussion with agent judge Stevie Finegan of the Zeno Agency.
What We’re Looking For
We want original ideas, a fresh voice, and stories that children and teens will love. We welcome entries from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.
Entry Requirements
- A completed full-length novel (approx. 30,000- 80,000 words) for children or young adults.
- A cover letter, synopsis, and manuscript in one document.
- You must be 18 or older, unpublished and without a literary agent.
Ready to enter the UK’s biggest children’s writing competition?
The competition closes at 11:59am on 1st June 2026. Submit your manuscript today and take the first step toward becoming a published author!
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Enter Now
If your manuscript is ready you can submit your entry online straight away. Registration should take no more than 10 minutes.
Before you begin…
- Make sure you’ve read the Competition Terms & Conditions
- Have your covering letter, synopsis and manuscript ready to upload in a single Word document
- Have a credit or debit card and/or your PayPal account details to hand
The 2026 competition is now open!
Are you an unpublished and unagented writer with an original and exciting story for 7-to-18-year-olds? We’re offering not one but TWO fantastic prizes this year:
The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Prize
This prize is a worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a £10,000 advance (subject to contract). Our esteemed panel of judges will select the overall winner, who will also receive a discussion of representation from literary agent Callen Martin. The winner will be the entrant whose story, in the opinion of the judges, demonstrates the greatest entertainment value, quality, originality and suitability for children.
The Broken Binding Prize
Sponsored by The Broken Binding, this prize is for YA fantasy, sci-fi and speculative fiction. The winner will receive a publishing contract with Chicken House with a £10,000 advance (subject to contract), plus a discussion of representation with literary agent Stevie Finegan.
Shortlisted entrants who don’t win will receive a letter summarising their reader’s, the Chicken House editorial team’s and the judges’ comments on their submission. All longlisted entrants will receive a reader’s report of their work.
Submission Dates and Fees
The deadline for entries will be at 11.59am (UK time) on 1st June 2026 and the submissions portal will close at this time. Any entries received after the deadline will not be considered. Please ensure you enter in good time!
The standard submission fee is £25 – however, if you are in financial hardship, please email competitions@chickenhousebooks.com by midday (UK time) on 29th May 2026 to request a reduced fee of £20. You do not need to provide proof or justification when requesting the reduced fee.
How to enter
The only way to enter the competition is through the submissions portal on our website. Please follow the instructions below.
You will need to create a single Word document containing the following submission materials:
- A page-long covering letter explaining why you believe your novel would appeal to children and telling us a bit about yourself.
- A page-long synopsis of your story. Please include all the main points of your plot in your synopsis, including spoilers – we need to know what happens at the end!
- The full manuscript.
Please note that all materials submitted online will be read digitally on e-readers so exact formatting will not be retained.
Barry's tips...
Our chair of judges, Barry Cunningham, is best-known as the publisher who signed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Here are his top tips for aspiring writers!
Need advice?
Take a look at our Writers' Guide – packed with useful hints and tips, plus a list of invaluable resources & links to useful organisations, it’s a great place to start.
FAQs
ENTRY FAQs
Can I enter my covering letter and synopsis in separate documents from my manuscript online?
Should I include my name in the submission, or are submissions anonymous?
Are there any spacing, font or other formatting/display requirements for online submissions?
I can’t afford the £25 fee. Can I get a reduction?
Can I enter two or more novels into the competition?
ELIGIBILITY FAQs
Do I need to do anything differently to enter the Broken Binding Prize?
What do you mean by ‘commercially published’?
I have already self-published my novel. Can I still enter it into the competition?
I have a literary agent. Can I still enter?
I have entered my manuscript into the competition before, but wish to submit it again. Can I?
Is the competition open to international entrants?
My submission isn’t a picture book, but it does contain illustrations. Can I still submit?
TECHNICAL FAQs
My online entry has failed, what should I do?
I’m not sure if my entry has been safely received – can you confirm?
What if I want to update my manuscript after I’ve submitted?
Does the ‘first look’ deal with Lime Pictures mean I’m signing over my TV/film rights?
Do I have to sign with the agent judge if I win?
SUBMISSION FAQs
What is required in a covering letter and synopsis?
Who will read my manuscript, and can they offer me some feedback?
When will I hear whether I have been longlisted or shortlisted?
Will I be informed if I am not successful in reaching the longlist?
ENTRY FAQs
Can I enter my covering letter and synopsis in separate documents from my manuscript online?
No. There is no option to enter multiple documents via the submissions portal. Our readers will be reading the submissions electronically and will need your submission as a single document to prevent any confusion.
Should I include my name in the submission, or are submissions anonymous?
Submissions are not anonymous. These details are automatically included along with your submission. If you wish to include a header on each page with the entry title and your name, please feel free to do so, however this is not necessary.
Are there any spacing, font or other formatting/display requirements for online submissions?
There are no specific requirements, but we would prefer Microsoft Word submissions over PDFs, for ease of reading on Kindle.
I forgot to attach a part of my submission, e.g. my covering letter or synopsis. Am I automatically disqualified?
No. We will get in touch if anything is missing from your entry, even if the deadline has already passed – don’t panic.
I can’t afford the £25 fee. Can I get a reduction?
Yes, you can. Please email competitions@chickenhousebooks.com for your discount code, which will reduce the fee to £20. Please ensure you do this by 11.59am (UK time) on 28th May to allow time for you to enter before the deadline.
Can I enter two or more novels into the competition?
No, we can only accept one manuscript per entrant.
Can I enter my picture book/novel for adults/short story/short story collection/non-fiction/early readers book into the competition?
No. The competition is for full-length children’s novels only, aimed at children aged 7 and above, including YA.
ELIGIBILITY FAQs
Do I need to do anything differently to enter the Broken Binding Prize?
No – just enter the competition as normal. If your submission falls within the genres of YA sci-fi, speculative or fantasy fiction, it will automatically be considered for the Broken Binding Prize; our readers will allocate submissions to the correct prize.
I have previously 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.
What do you mean by ‘commercially published’?
A good rule of thumb is whether you received an advance against royalties. If you did not, we are happy for you to enter the competition. If you’re not sure, please feel free to email competitions@chickenhousebooks.com for confirmation of your eligibility.
I have already self-published my novel. Can I still enter it into the competition?
Yes, you may still submit a novel if it has been self-published.
I have a literary agent. Can I still enter?
No, agented authors are not eligible to enter – after all, we accept ordinary submissions via all established literary agencies and a discussion of representation is part of the prize. If you gain representation after entry, contact competitions@chickenhousebooks.com to withdraw your submission, but please be aware that we cannot refund your entry fee.
I have entered my manuscript into the competition before, but wish to submit it again. Can I?
Yes. We understand that manuscripts can change significantly between drafts and we encourage writers to continue to improve their work.
I am under 18. Can I enter?
No. For legal reasons, the competition is open to writers over the age of 18 only.
Is the competition open to international entrants?
Yes, writers can enter regardless of where they are in the world.
My submission isn’t a picture book, but it does contain illustrations. Can I still submit?
You are welcome to include illustrations as part of your submission, but they will not be considered as part of the judging process.
TECHNICAL FAQs
My online entry has failed, what should I do?
In the first instance, please ensure you have followed these step-by-step instructions. If the problem persists, please email competitions@chickenhousebooks.com with proof of your technical issues and your manuscript by the competition deadline. Please note, any submissions or queries we receive directly to this email after the deadline will not be counted.
Do you accept postal entries?
No. The only way to enter the competition is through the submissions portal on our website.
I have submitted online but although I’ve completed all the steps, the status of my order is still ‘processing’. Does this mean you haven’t received my entry?
No – the order status only changes from ‘processing’ to ‘complete’ once we have downloaded your document on to our database. We intend to download the submissions in batches around the competition deadline, so there may be a delay of some months before you receive the ‘order complete’ email. We will contact you if there are any issues regarding your submission.
If my order still shows as ‘processing’ after the competition deadline has passed, will I be disqualified?
No, certainly not – the order status only changes from ‘processing’ to ‘complete’ once we have downloaded your document onto our database. Due to the expected volume of submissions there may be some delay in downloading all entries. We will contact you if there are any issues regarding your submission.
I’m not sure if my entry has been safely received – can you confirm?
We are not able to confirm individual entries. If we have received a payment without a manuscript attached, we will be in touch directly to request the document. You will not be disqualified, even if the deadline has passed.
What if I want to update my manuscript after I’ve submitted?
If you haven’t yet received notification that your entry has been downloaded (‘complete’), you should be able to login via the online portal and replace the uploaded manuscript with a new one. However, once we have downloaded your submission, it can’t be replaced. To avoid disappointment, please ensure you are happy with the version of your manuscript you are submitting before entering.
Does the ‘first look’ deal with Lime Pictures mean I’m signing over my TV/film rights?
No. The ‘first look’ deal means that if you are shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Prize, Lime will have exclusive right to consider your book for TV/film development for a period of 45 days after the winners’ announcement. This means that during this time, you may not submit the project to any other film/TV production companies. If Lime do not proceed with an offer, you, your literary agent or (in the case of the winner) Chicken House may submit your novel to other production companies for consideration. If they do offer, they have 60 days of further exclusivity to negotiate the terms of the development contract with you or your agent. You are not required to sign any contract with Lime, nor does this affect any of your other rights.
Do I have to sign with the agent judge if I win?
No. As part of the prize the winners will be able to discuss representation with the agent judge, but you are not required to sign any contract with them.
SUBMISSION FAQs
The word count of my submission is less than the suggested 30,000-word lower limit. Can I still submit?
Yes, the word count limits are only suggestions based on our experience of novels for children aged 7+ up to (and including) YA – we are happy to consider shorter and longer submissions.
What is required in a covering letter and synopsis?
A covering letter should not exceed a page in length (single spaced). A synopsis should also not exceed a page in length. Your covering letter should include an introductory paragraph, a pitch about your novel, the target audience and why it would appeal to that audience as well as any comparison titles from recent years. You could also include any relevant writing experience (or life experience!) that you have. The covering letter is a good chance for us to get to know your writing goals and motivations. A synopsis should be a factual explanation of the events in your book, no more than a page in length. Please include all the major events, including the ending. We don’t care about spoilers here! We need to know the entire plot – no cliff-hangers, please!
Who will read my manuscript, and can they offer me some feedback?
In the first instance, your manuscript will be randomly allocated to one of our team of readers – these professionals work in children’s publishing and are experts at spotting literary talent. This team will select a longlist, which will then be scrutinised by the Chicken House team, who will select approximately five titles for the shortlist. Our prestigious panel of judges from across the publishing industry will read and discuss the shortlist before deciding on a winner. We offer a reader’s report for all longlistees (and supply judges’ feedback for shortlistees) but unfortunately, due to the large number of submissions received, we cannot offer feedback for everybody else.
When will I hear whether I have been longlisted or shortlisted?
We aim to announce the longlist on our website in August, the shortlist in September, and the winner in November. You can follow us on social media to keep up with all the latest news.
Will I be informed if I am not successful in reaching the longlist?
Due to the number of submissions we receive, we will only get in touch with you if you are longlisted for the competition. If you have not heard from us by the time the longlist is announced, you have unfortunately been unsuccessful on this occasion. However, you are welcome to enter the competition again next time.
