Hey, Everyone!

I realize I’m still sorting out Halloweensie prizes, but holy wow! Would you look at the calendar?

For some mysterious reason, the Holiday Contest snuck up on me!

A quick search for clues revealed that it is all Thanksgiving’s fault for being so late this year.

It lulled me into a false lack of urgency.

“Oh, it’s not even Thanksgiving. I have plenty of time…”

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

The Holiday Contest will already be running by 2 weeks from today! And Thanksgiving week falls in the middle of your writing time!

I think this is a good time to discuss the benefits of deadlines. So what if you’ve only got 15 days to complete your entry? That’s half a month! And knowing you only have until midnight on December 8th will allow you to skip all that time-wasting you usually indulge in and just get right down to writing! (Also, you will have a legitimate excuse to make someone else do the dishes – “I’m so sorry, I have to WRITE!” 😊)

Here’s a little treat to make the job even more palatable. . .

(see what I did there? 😊)

. . . and to help fuel your creativity (nothing like a little sugar to get those gears turning and give your fingers the energy to FLY over that keyboard! 😊)

So, are you ready to write?

(cue the Pink Panther theme music)

Here are the guidelines for the. . .

14th Annual Holiday Writing Contest

~ for children’s writers ~

The Contest:  Write a maximum 250 word children’s holiday story (children here defined as age 12 and under) about a Holiday Mystery!

• The mystery must be central to the plot, but does not necessarily have to be solved – endings that leave you wondering who-actually-dunnit can be as fun as the satisfaction of a solved case 😊
• It can be any kind of mystery:
  • – a puzzling situation
  • – something or someone gone missing
  • – something that mysteriously shows up
  • – a mysterious and unexplained event
  • – etc…
• Anything goes – the more imaginative the better! 😊

Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s, Three Kings Day, or whatever you celebrate during the Holiday Season, but is not to exceed 250 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest 😊 )  (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful 😊 , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 250!  Title not included in word count.)  The field is wide open!  Have fun!  The more creative the better!  No illustration notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one entry you may, just remember you’re competing against yourself!)

Post:  Your entry should be posted between 12:01 AM EST Friday December 6th and Sunday December 8th at 11:59 PM EST, and must be posted in the comment section of the Official Contest Post which will go up here on my blog on Friday December 6th and should include title, byline, and word count. (This is NOT that post – this post is just for the rules so you have time to write!) The Official Contest Post that goes up on Wednesday December 6th will remain up for your reading pleasure until I post the finalists.  There will be no regular posts (Tuesday Debut or Perfect Picture Book) for the duration of the contest so everyone will have plenty of time to visit and enjoy all the entries.  Do not submit any entries before the opening of the contest on December 6th! They will not be accepted or read!

The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to approximately 12 finalists.  Due to the busy-ness of the holiday season, I am not going to hazard a guess as to exactly when the finalists will be posted – they’ll be up as soon as I can get them up!

Judging criteria will be as follows:

• 1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.
• 2.  Holiday Mystery! – the rules state a Holiday Mystery story, so your story must be centered around a mystery of some kind and it must be crystal clear that the story in some way relates to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s, or whatever seasonal winter holiday you choose.  Your mystery must be central to the story  – not just an offhand mention/reference in a story about something else.
• 3. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc.  Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.
• 4. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc.  If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊  Overall writing quality and use of language are also important. Please proofread! A typo may be the difference between being considered and being set aside. (Please see note below!)
• 5. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another. And in a contest of countdowns, you will want yours to stand out from the crowd!
• 6. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Large numbers of entries make it easy to cut entries that haven’t been entered as we asked.

NOTE after this year’s Halloweensie: we got so many FABULOUS entries, but more than usual with heartbreaking small errors – the kind that made us have to cut some of the best stories when we were down to the wire. When it comes to choosing finalists, we cannot choose an entry that has mistakes in it over one without them! It is PAINFUL to have to cut great stories with little errors that could have been avoided! We had entries that didn’t mention Halloween in any way. We had entries with run-on sentences, misspelled words, punctuation and capitalization errors. We had entries that failed to include title, byline, and/or word count. So please, please, please follow the guidelines, PROOFREAD, and if you’re writing in rhyme, make sure of your meter in every line!

The Prizes!: Oh WOW!!! We’ve got good ones. I’m going to add them in ASAP but I wanted to get the guidelines up so you have time to write!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ FABULOUS PRIZES WILL MYSTERIOUSLY APPEAR HERE! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique AND a Signed Copy of MERRY CHRISTMAS, DEAR MARS from Penny Parker Klostermann, talented author of MERRY CHRISTMAS, DEAR MARS (September 3, 2024 from Macmillan/Godwin Books) – a story that placed 2nd in the 2011 Holiday Contest! How’s that for inspiring? – as well as THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017) and the forthcoming SPIDER LADY: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army (Astra/Calkins Creek 2025)

⭐️ Winner’s Choice of Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Author Kelsey Gross OR a signed copy of one of her Solstice Books: WINTER: A SOLSTICE STORY, the original version of which placed 6th in the 2020 Holiday Contest! more inspiration!, or SUMMER: A SOLSTICE STORY

⭐️ Winner’s Choice of a 30 minute Zoom Ask Me Anything from author Jenna Waldman OR a signed copy of one of her books: LARRY’S LATKES (Apples & Honey Press, October 1, 2021) (which tied for 4th in the 2018 Holiday Contest – more inspiration!!!), SHARKBOT SHALOM (Apples & Honey Press, August 1, 2021), or PURR-IM TIME (Apples & Honey Press, February 1, 2023) A PURR-FECT PASSOVER is due out from Apples & Honey Press on March 25, 2025.

⭐️ Signed Copies of PIRATE & PENGUIN (Page Street Kids, May 30, 2023) and PIRATE & PENGUIN 2 FEW CREW (Page Street Kids, September 3, 2024) from author Mike Allegra (who, incidentally, also had a 6-book Chapter Book Series published – the PRINCE NOT-SO-CHARMING books – which were inspired by the story he wrote for his 2nd place finish in the 2014 March Madness Contest! – more contest inspiration!!!)

⭐️ Interested in Self Publishing? Author Kizzie Hutcheson Roberts will help you format a picture book for self-publication (does not include providing illustrations) (Can be saved until you’re ready – Kizzi will honor it down the road) Kizzi is the indie author of THE ELVES GO MARCHING (Elemental Ink, December 1, 2022), THE EGGS GO ROLLING (Learning Spark, February 16, 2023), and HARPER AND THE RAPTOR RESCUE (chapter book) (Learning Spark Educational Publishing, June 27, 2023)

⭐️ Signed Copy of LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN PLUS A 30 Minute Ask Me Anything with Rebecca Gardyn Levington, author of BRAINSTORM! (Sleeping Bear Press, 2022), WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (Barefoot Books, Mar 7, 2023), I WILL ALWAYS BE…(HarperCollins, 4/15/25 – Available for Pre-Order Now),  AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? A Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (Penguin/Rocky Pond, Spring 2024), LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN (Scholastic, 9/3/24), WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW! (Capstone, 1/1/25 – Available for Pre-Order Now), FINDING FORGIVENESS (Macmillan/FSG, 8/5/25), SOME DAYS I’M THE WIND (Barefoot Books, Fall 2025), and LOOKING FOR LIGHT: A Shabbat Story (Macmillan/FSG, Fall 2026)

Sign up for Rebecca’s NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/h2sK8X

⭐️ Winner’s Choice of Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction) or a signed copy of one of her books from Melissa Stoller, author of SCARLET’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH (Spork 2018), READY, SET, GORILLA! (Spork 2018), THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION (chapter books) (Spork 2017), SADIE’S SHABAT STORIES (Spork, 2020) and PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: PEACE, SALAAM, SHALOM

⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non rhyming) from Maria Antonia, author of THE CHRISTMAS ELEPHANT (Paraclete Press, October 8, 2024) and the forthcoming BARNABY, THE RUNAWAY SHEEP (Paraclete Press, March 4, 2025)

⭐️ Winner’s Choice of Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming) or a 30 minute Zoom Ask Me Anything from author Lori Degman! Lori is the author of COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! (Creston Books, January 1, 2014), NORBERT’S BIG DREAM (Sleeping Bear Press, August 1, 2016), 1 ZANY ZOO (Simon&Schuster, July 20, 2010), JUST READ (Union Square Kids, March 5, 2019), LIKE A GIRL(Union Square Kids, August 13, 2019), TRAVEL GUIDE FOR MONSTERS (Sleeping Bear Press, April 15, 2020), and TRAVEL GUIDE FOR MONSTERS PART DEUX: A CANADIAN ADVENTURE (Sleeping Bear Press, April 15, 2023)

⭐️Winner’s Choice of Picture Book Manuscript Critique or a 30 minute Zoom Ask Me Anything from Kelly Conroy, author of YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING (Tiger Tales, November 5, 2024) and the forthcoming I SEE YOU IN THE STARS: A ZODIAC BOOK FOR BABIES (Familius 2025)

⭐️ A One-Hour Zoom with Feedback on a Picture Book Written in Rhyme or Free Verse from developmental editor Lou Piccolo! Lou Piccolo is an author, poet and developmental editor of children’s
literature based in France. When she’s not writing for the educational market or editing kidlit, she works as a contributing editor for GO English Kids magazine. She is also the owner of RHYME MADE EASY(er), a
skills-based resource for authors to revise, and practice their scansion and rhyme of children’s rhyming picture books, poetry collections and standalone poems. She is a graduate of Renee LaTulippe’s Lyrical Language Lab – Punching Up Prose With Poetry course and Making Picture Book Magic,

⭐️ Three 30-minute Get Unstuck Brainstorming Zoom Calls with author/editor Alayne Kay Christian! Have you taken your story as far as you can, but still feel like something is off or it’s not quite there yet? Alayne is offering mini-mentoring mixed with brainstorming to help you on your way to success! Alayne is the author of BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA (Blue Whale Press, 2008), SIENNA THE COWGIRL FAIRY: COWBOY TROUBLE (Blue Whale Press 2021), THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS (Blue Whale Press, 2020), and AN OLD MAN AND HIS PENGUIN (Blue Whale Press, 2020)

⭐️ A 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Call with Barbara Kimmel PLUS a signed copy of her debut picture book, HANUKKAH HIPPITY HOP! Barbara is the author of HANUKKAH HIPPITY HOP (Kar-Ben Publishing, October 1, 2024) and the forthcoming PURIM POSSIBILITIES (PJ Publishing 2026).

⭐️ A Set of Julie Abery’s BABY DINO Board Books OR an ASK ME ANYTHING Session With Her About Writing Board Books. Julie is the author of more than a dozen books for children including picture books SAKAMOTO’S SWIM CLUB (Kids Can Press, May 4, 2021), THE OLD MAN AND THE PENGUIN (Kids Can Press, October 6, 2020), and YUSRA SWIMS (Creative Editions, February 26, 2020), as well as 8 board books in the LITTLE ANIMAL FRIENDS series and 4 board books in the BABY DINOSAUR series. Check them all out HERE!

Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊

So! Butt in chair! Snack and beverage near to hand! Writing implement ready! Mindboggling Mystery Thinking Caps on!

Three. . .

Two. . .

One. . .

WRITE!!!!!!!