Meet the Judges for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2024!
It's time to reveal our all-star lineup of judges for the 2024 competition ...
We are so excited to showcase the amazing panel for this year's competition. Manuscript reading is underway, and the submissions portal is still open, so if you want to be in with a chance of having these incredible industry professionals read your story, make sure to head over to the submissions page. But first, read on to see who those incredible industry professionals are ...
BARRY CUNNINGHAM, PUBLISHER AND MD, CHICKEN HOUSE
Barry Cunningham has had an impressive career in publishing. After an English degree at Cambridge, he joined Penguin Books in 1977. As Children’s Marketing Director for Puffin, he worked with all the great names in children’s books including Roald Dahl and Spike Milligan, and was responsible for the re-launch of Beatrix Potter. In 1984 he was promoted to the Penguin Board and became responsible for the marketing of all Penguin Books, a position he held until 1988, when he was headhunted by Random House. In 1994 he was approached by Bloomsbury to set up their first children’s book list. Barry left Bloomsbury at the height of its success and, in early 2000, decided to start his own publishing company. The result was Chicken House, a lively and creative company publishing highly original and enjoyable children’s books, with a special emphasis on new fiction. He has been a judge for the competition since it's fruition.
LUCY BANNERMAN, THE TIMES REPORTER AND CHILDREN’S BOOK CRITIC
Lucy Bannerman is an award-winning journalist at The Times, who has been chasing stories for the past 20 years. She has reported from 24 countries around the world, covering everything from the funeral of Nelson Mandela to the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan.
She is a regular contributor to The Times magazine, Times Radio and the Stories of Our Times podcast. As the newspaper's children's book critic, the best part of her working week is sifting through the hundreds of stories and picture books - from the fantastical and magical to the comical and historical - that arrive in the mail room every week to find the one that will become 'The Times children's book of the week.' It is the only weekly review space dedicated to children's literature in the mainstream press.
She was Young Journalist of the Year 2006 but is older now.
TIM COMPTON, CO-HEAD OF CHILDRENS, LIME PICTURES
Tim Compton is joint Head of Kids & Family (alongside Angelo Abela) at Lime Pictures. Prior to this, he was a script editor and producer at HIT Entertainment and CBBC. For Lime, Tim was the story producer and core writer on the global hit House of Anubis (Nickelodeon) and producer and co-creator of Evermoor, which was the Disney Channel's first direct drama commission from outside the US. Tim produced and wrote for Free Reign, the Emmy award-winning Netflix original and was executive producer on the Emmy-nominated limited series Zero Chill, also for Netflix. He is currently executive producer on Wereworld, Lime’s first animated series for Netflix.
LYDIA SILVER, LITERARY AGENT, DARLEY ANDERSON
Lydia Silver is a Senior Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Children’s Agency. Since joining the agency in 2018, Lydia has built a wide-ranging list of dynamic and diverse writing and illustrating talent. Among other accolades, her authors have been picked as Blackwell’s Book of the Month, been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Jhalak Prize, and won the Diverse Book Award. She was chosen as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2022.
TESSA GIRVAN, SCOUT, LUCY ABRAHAMS
Tessa is a literary scout for Children's and YA books, working with Lucy Abrahams Literary Scouting. Tessa studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge before taking up a work experience placement with a literary scout. She went on to work as a literary agent for translation, selling international rights for a wide list of Children's and YA authors. Since then, Tessa has written, edited and translated books for children, as well as moderating the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course. Tessa writes fiction for both adults and young adults, and she currently works with the Professional Writing Academy, providing editorial feedback for new writers.
JOEL ROCHESTER, CONTENT CREATOR
Joel Rochester is your friendly neighbourhood cozy curator with a taste for the magical and macabre. Both an award-winning content creator, and an academic possessing a BA in Creative Writing and English Literature from Winchester. Between playing video games, browsing the nearest bookstore, and writing new stories, they possess an eagerness to embark on new adventures to undiscovered worlds.
FRANK COTTRELL-BOYCE, CHILDREN’S NOVELIST
Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a children's novelist who won the Carnegie Medal for his first book - Millions - in 2004 and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for The Unforgotten Coat in 2013. Millions was made into a film by Danny Boyle, for whom Frank went on to work as the writer on the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, 2012. His other books include Framed (filmed by the BBC), Cosmic, The Astounding Broccoli Boy and Runaway Robot. He also wrote the three official sequels to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His films include 24 Hour Party People, God on Trial and Hilary and Jackie. His short work, The Great Rocket Robbery, was published for World Book Day in 2019. His latest novel, The Wonder Brothers, was published by Macmillan in July 2023.
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.
The Times/Chicken House shortlist is here!
Well, that was a next-to-impossible decision! The longlist this year was super strong – so strong, in fact, that we couldn’t bear to whittle it down to only five titles.
YA captured our hearts this year, resulting in a shortlist of six YA and one middle-grade title. We have a list encompassing imaginative dystopian, thrilling murders, gothic adventure, mythology-inspired fantasy and so much more!
- Beth Death – Amanda Poll
- Daughters of Rowan – Hannah Watson
- Love on Sight – Asli Jensen
- Of Sea and Sky – Annahita De La Mare
- Past the Curfew – Jemma Sykes
- Supers – Maggie Womersley
- The Pouka King – Marisa Linton
Huge congratulations to our shortlisted authors. To anyone who was longlisted but didn’t reach the shortlist, never fear: we’ll be providing you with a handy reader’s report with some feedback from our team. Now, it’s over to our fantastic panel of judges to decide on the winners. We’ll be announcing the result at the end of November as well as opening next year’s competition. Watch this space!
Announcing the winners of the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition
And the winners of the 2022 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition are … (more…)
Times/Chicken House Competition 2022 Shortlist Reveal!
The Times/Chicken House shortlist is here!
An Interview with Ben Oliver - author of 'The Loop' trilogy!
The action-packed sci-fi trilogy, The Loop, is hastily reaching it's climax ...
Introducing our Shortlistees!
The moment is finally here! Curious about who made it onto our Times/Chicken House and IET shortlists? We’ve got your back. Choosing our top favourite manuscripts was no easy task this time around - the talent on display in our submissions gets greater and greater as the years go on. With that being said, here are the eight shortlisted authors who made it this year, a little bit about them and a teaser about the books themselves. Congratulations, all!
Our IET competition shortlistees are ...
The Remarkables – Alison Stegert
At age 12, Alison read The Secret Garden, a book she credits with unleashing her desire to write, her urge to travel, and her fascination with the UK—all unusual interests for a country girl from small-town America. At 18, she began travelling and acquiring languages. In China, she fell in love with an Aussie whom she married (best souvenir ever)! After raising three remarkable daughters and retiring from school counselling, Alison now focuses on her writing. She's the state director of the Queensland branch of SCBWI ANZ.
The Remarkables is YA historical fiction with a STEM twist:
#19thCenturyGirlGeniusProblems: When your new job as gadget inventress to Queen Victoria’s League of Lady Spies clashes with your dream opportunity at the 1889 Paris World Fair.
The Cipher Engines – Henry Coles
Henry grew up in a small village in Yorkshire, then studied in Nottingham before moving to Edinburgh, where he lives with his wife and daughters. After dropping out of both a chemistry degree and a PhD in powder metallurgy, he became a computer programmer. He started writing fiction at 12:48 on the 4th of March 2017 and hasn’t stopped yet.
The Cipher Engines is a story of secrets, cryptography and calculating engines, set in Victorian England. It follows thirteen-year-old Ada Halting as she searches for her missing mother, aided by a mysterious talking crow who insists there is no such thing as magic.
Jeremy Gill is Not the Chosen One – Jackie Jones
Jackie’s a Barbadian-British writer using her cultural background, experiences, and imagination, to develop stories and screenplays. Based in Belgium, the former journalist enjoys researching advances in science and tech, history, and lore, as inspiration for her work. While much of her writing falls into the speculative fiction genres, she has creative nonfiction pieces in two anthologies, has written for World Footprints, Fame Focus, and Destination Tips to name a few, and has created courses on copywriting, budget business, and remote working. Nowadays Jackie’s focused on creative content development in multiple mediums, and often indulges her soft spot for ducks with feeding days by the lake.
In Jackie’s shortlisted novel Jeremy Gill Is Not the Chosen One, twelve-year-old mecha pilot trainee Jeremy rebels against being the people’s chosen one, gets in way over his head and when all he cares about is in jeopardy, must fight to make things right.
And our Times/Chicken House competition shortlistees are ...
The Vengeful Son – Amie Jordan
Amie is a freelance artist who lives in Salford, Greater Manchester with her son, dog, and grumpy cat. She designs children’s knitwear and oversees art workshops in primary schools through the day, then writes away whilst drinking endless cups of tea into the night.
Studying film at university, all forms of story telling have been her passion since childhood – tens of boxes under her bed hide long-winded manuscripts: evidence of her child and teenage attempts.
Amie recently discovered the Golden Egg Academy and with the optimism and support she found there mustered the courage to enter her first competition. She is beyond thrilled to have now reached the short list.
Amie’s shortlisted novel, The Vengeful Son, is a classic whodunit interspersed into a contemporary fantasy setting. Sage is a nineteen-year-old werewolf and a dreamer, but when her chance to join the Arcānum and fight crime comes at last, the race to end the case before it ends her is on.
The Flood Child – Emily Randall
Emily trained as an actor, and spent years touring in classic novel adaptations with a merry band of players and the set in a horse box. She's also been an Historical Interpreter (one of those in Georgian dress at Hampton Court) and worked for the National Trust, where she created trails and exhibitions for all ages. In fact, it was producing an interactive murder mystery that ignited a love for writing twisty tales for older children. She now writes alongside raising two tiny people, one of whom lent her middle name to the main character.
The Flood Child tells the story of Autumn, a thirteen-year-old who can see the dead. When her father drowns and he’s the one ghost that doesn’t appear, she must solve the mystery of his death before his past comes hurtling into her present.
Fatima and the Invisible Necklace – Laila Rifaat
Originally from Sweden, Laila moved to Cairo, Egypt, in her twenties to explore her father’s native country. She was supposed to stay for four years to finish her university studies but fell in love with the country (and with her husband) and ended up staying. Although she’s lived in Cairo for over twenty years now, she still thinks of the city as an enormous, historical trifle, with layer upon layer of rich, delicious story. As such, it remains a main source of inspiration for her stories. Laila has an M.A in English and Comparative literature and has worked as an ESL and IGCSE teacher. Nowadays she’s a stay-at-home mom to her four kids and writes whenever they give her a moment’s peace.
Fatima and the Invisible Necklace is the story about a girl who inherits her late mother’s necklace, only to discover that it carries a magic wish that will strangle her unless she carries it out! Fatima’s quest to be free of the curse takes her on quite an adventure: She goes to a time-travel hub in a parallel universe where she meets characters from all over Egyptian history, including some very naughty flying carpets and a pair of sphinxes with a penchant for squabbling and knitwear.
The Portland Place Mystery – Nicola Whyte
Nicola has been writing since she was very young and studied Drama at university, before going on to work as a bookseller. In 2008, she became a web developer and now runs a small digital agency. She writes short stories and novels for both children and adults, and completed the GEA Foundations course last year, working with editor Abigail Kohlhoff on a YA novel. Nicola is also a member of SCWBI, The Golden Egg Academy, and volunteers with the Write Magic writing collective on Facebook. Nicola currently lives in Wiltshire with her partner, daughter and two demanding tabby cats.
The Portland Place Mystery is a contemporary mystery story about a group of twelve-year-olds about to make the transition from middle to secondary school, keen to cement their friendship and make their summer count. When they meet ARLO, Professor Ken’s top secret robotic research come to life, and the only witness to a crime they decide to investigate, can the friends piece together the clues and track down the missing scientist before it’s too late?
Obsidian Heart – Philippa Peall
Philippa is a writer, singer, and theatre-lover who, despite her best efforts to escape, keeps finding herself living in Essex. Her writing is influenced by the training she received during her BA in Journalism – you don’t quickly forget a coarse Yorkshireman yelling at you that stories should be brief and moist! By day she works in marketing for an outdoor opera company. By night she reads and writes children’s books, and occasionally procrastinates by watching people play video games on the internet. As a queer woman who didn’t truly understand her identity until her early twenties, Philippa’s ambition as a writer is to help populate young people’s bookshelves with a rainbow of queer stories.
In Philippa’s shortlisted novel, Obsidian Heart, asexual teen Lizzie accidentally reawakens her world’s dormant magic as she goes on a quest to find her own version of ‘true love’, and free herself from the curse that’s stopped her ever telling the truth.
Our winners will be announced next week, so keep your eyes peeled and watch this space ...
New reads: September 2021
New books time!
READY, SET … OPEN COOP!
Do you wish you had a professional editor on board to help you develop your children’s novel? Well, this opportunity might just be for you! (more…)
Chloë Perrin
CHLOË PERRIN is a North Walian writer who currently lives in West London studying Creative Writing at Brunel University.
They love to feed crows, prefers Halloween to Christmas and was frequently told off as a child for reading in class. Chloë has previously worked as a youth worker, drama tutor and professional storyteller, having always believed that the best way to teach anyone anything is through a story.
HIS ROYAL HOPELESS was longlisted for the 2019 Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Prize and is their debut novel.
Photography credit: Chloe Potamiti
Aarti & the Blue Gods
Aarti has lived on the island with Aunt for as long as she can remember.
Like the weather, Aunt rules her world with rare warmth. Aarti’s only comforts are a book of Indian myths full of blue gods, a fox’s friendship, and a toy rabbit she finds in a locked room. Then, she learns Aunt has been feeding her lies. Fate intervenes when a half-drowned boy washes up on the beach. With his help, Aarti hopes to remember who she really is … and perhaps find a way home.
A mesmerising third novel from Costa-winning and Waterstones- shortlisted Jasbinder Bilan, who is fast establishing herself as one of the most exciting writers of middle-grade fiction.
Empathy Day 2020
It’s Empathy Day – a day that is perhaps needed now more than ever. Today, we’re focusing on how we can use books as a tool for imagining and sharing someone else’s feelings.
We asked the book experts (our authors!) to share what empathy means to them, and why it’s important to them as authors. Over to you, Chickens!
Maz Evans
To me, empathy means walking at least a mile in someone else's shoes. Although you should probably give their shoes back once you're done…
James Nicol
To me, empathy means sharing and connecting with someone else through feelings and emotions. It's about being sensitive and aware of other people and situations. I think it is often undervalued and dismissed, but if everyone was more empathetic I think the world would be a much better place.
As an author, empathy is really important because it is our most important job to take our readers into the lives of people who are different from us – they might be witches, or dragons, or just someone who lives in a different town or country. We have to help the readers feel a connection to the characters we create so they know what that person's life is like – it’s as simple (and as complex!) as that. And not just the main characters but all those supporting characters, and even the antagonist! Forming that empathetic link with an antagonist makes them feel more real and less like a pantomime baddie!
The whole act of writing is one of empathy for me, and reading helps us to be more empathetic as it can really show us someone else's emotions there on the page, helping us to understand and recognise them in the real world too.
Jasbinder Bilan
To me, empathy means stepping into someone else’s skin and seeing the world as if you were them. In Asha and the Spirit Bird you can become Asha, living in the foothills of the Himalaya, and feel her pain when her papa’s letters stop and she doesn’t know what’s happened to him.
You can experience how having a best friend like Jeevan can help you overcome anything, whether it’s tigers or hunger – and you can imagine how having a spirit bird could get you through some tough things in life. Empathy shines a light on our humanity and connects us all together.
Lucy Strange
As an author, empathy is really important because it's what makes stories so meaningful and valuable. When we read a book, we step into the character's shoes, feeling their joys and fears and triumphs as if they are our own.
In my book, Our Castle by the Sea, I wanted to bring Petra's frightening wartime experience to life for my readers – for them to imagine what it would have been like living on the coast of England during the Second World War, and to understand what happened to the thousands of 'enemy aliens' who were living in the UK at the time.
Reading such stories with empathy can help us all to understand dangerous feelings such as hatred and prejudice, and to see through the propaganda of politics and the press. If we all exercise empathy a little more, the world will become a better, kinder place.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
To me, empathy means imagining your way into another person's life, into their body, their experiences, with the purpose of gaining understanding and becoming a better person.
As an author, empathy is really important because it's the only way the world can become kinder. I write to show the world as it is, and could be, and empathy is the most important tool in my kit.
For more Empathy Day 2020 resources, be sure to take a look at the official Twitter feed here. You can also download an Empathy Day activity pack here!
Meet our third shortlistee
Just over a week until we announce this year's Times/Chicken House comp winner! Today we're introducing shortlistee number 3: Alison Padley-Woods, shortlisted for her story The Firestone of Avisriel. (more…)
Meet our first shortlistee
It’s only TWO WEEKS until our panel of judges decides on the winner of this year’s Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition, and we’re super excited to find out who will win our publishing contract! (more…)
NaNoWriMo Nov Day 23: Sarah Rubin
It's day 23 of NaNoWriMo November! And joining us today on the blog is the wonderful Sarah Rubin, author of the Alice Jones mysteries – Sarah is no stranger to NaNoWriMo, and you can check out her awesome blog post about everything she's learned from taking part here. But for now, here are her top 5 tips for aspiring writers! (more…)
NaNoWriMo Nov Day 22: Maz Evans
3 weeks down! And just over a week to go until NaNoWriMo comes to a close. Today we're hearing from the fab Maz Evans – author of the upcoming madcap Olympian adventure Who Let the Gods Out? – on the top tips she'd give aspiring writers. And here's one from us: don't give up – Maz self-published her novel before it caught our eye! (more…)
NaNoWriMo Nov Day 14: Catherine Doyle
Today the fantastic Catherine Doyle, author of the deliciously dark Blood for Blood series, shares her top writing tips ... (more…)
NaNoWriMo Nov Day 8: M.A. Griffin
We've passed the one week mark! Those novels should be starting to take shape now, but if you're after a bit of extra inspiration, look no further than M.A. Griffin's NaNoWriMo survival kit. M.A. Griffin won the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition with his debut novel The Poison Boy back in 2012 under the name Fletcher Moss, and his new novel Lifers was published earlier this year. (more…)
NaNoWriMo Nov Day 5: Ally Sherrick
Day 5! Today Black Powder author Ally Sherrick is stopping by the blog to share her words of wisdom. (more…)
