Darlings! The time has come!

Are you ready for the Winners and Honorable Mentions for. . .

The 11th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest!!!

~ for children’s writers ~

First of all, thank you to EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest.  You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for so many! As always, there were so many wonderful stories!  It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining!  There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!  The other judges and I are blown away anew each time!

Second, thank you to EVERYONE – writer, reader, or both – who took the time to read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments.  For writers who work so hard, often on their own, and often facing disappointing letters from agents and editors, it means so much to know our work has been read, enjoyed, and appreciated.  I hope you all got as much delight  and entertainment out of the reading as I did!  Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus and always a fun element of the contests! 😊

Third, I want to reiterate how difficult it was too choose!  There were so many amazing entries.  Really.  I could find at least something terrific about every single one.  The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut.   So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad.  You’re in good company! There was a huge amount of competition. And remember that the judging is based on the contest criteria. If you wrote a great story that didn’t showcase superstitioun enough or that was too grown-up or not related to Valentine’s Day, or had proof-reading errors, you didn’t make the final cut.  But that DOES NOT mean you didn’t write a great story.  Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner!  You showed up.  You did your best work.  You practiced your craft.  You wrote to specifications and a deadline.  You bravely shared your writing with the world.  And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 214 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript.  So bravo to everyone who entered!

Because it was such a hard choice, and there were so many wonderful stories, before we get to the winners, my assistant judges and I would like to award bragging rights, recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:

1.  For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: (entries we truly wrestled with not including in the finalists!)

Rebecca Chester – Love Potion Catastrophe (or How I Became A Cat Person) (also funny!)

Jodie Houghton – The Upside-Down Heart

Carol Macpherson – Superstitious Valentine

Lisa Carmody Doiron – Lucky Penny’s Valentine

Jessica Iwanski – Bear’s Valentine Surprise

Inbal Alon – Snowy With A Chance of Valentines

Lizzie Brooks – Sandy’s Fuchsia Superstition

Laura Wippell – A Woodpecker Knocks On Wood For Love

Seth Standley – The Soaper Bowl

Sue Lancaster – Love Struck Stanley Tuck

Anna Marie Evans – Waddlesworth’s (Un)Lucky Valentine’s Day

2. For Well Written Character

Susan Elizabeth Schipper – Not Rose…Narrated by Rose (what an attitude!)

Jessica Phillips – Betty’s Superstitious Valentine (good for Betty!)

3. For Sweet/Touching

Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf – Valentine’s Day From Annie To Annie

Sam Irvin – Hearty the Pig

Julie Lerczak – Lucky’s Star

Elise Teichert – Hoping For Luck

Benita Sen – Mimi and the Mystery of the Half-Flower

4. For Humor

Sherry Dubis – A Superstitious Heart

Rose Cappelli – Lucky In Love

5. For Originality

Natalie Finch – Boo To You, Valentine (a ghost)

Stephanie Flom – Liv’s True Love (ice hockey, and nicely written)

Carla Herewini – The Thirteenth Red Envelope

Daniella Kaufman – The Valentine Acceptance Probablity Report

6. For Kid Appeal

Mona Voelkel – Cupid, Cupid, Look Around

Molly Schaffer – A Valentine Wish

Catherine Ann Velasco – Unlucky Red

7. For Creative POV

Kelly Kates – Superstitious About An Itchy Nose (POV of a finger, also very funny and great kid appeal!)

Lindsey Konkel Neabore – My Sicky, Icky Valentine (POV of a germ, also great kid appeal)

8. For Good Ending

Shuba Mohan – The Sweetest Sweet

Linda Jean Thomas – My Very Lucky Valentine’s Day

Griffin Taylor – My Snowy Valentine

Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories!  Please email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com subject line Prize Winner to collect your prize, which is five dollars in a format that can be emailed for you to put toward something you’d like at a large online store (and I’m being cryptic because when I’ve done this for previous contests I got a ton of problematic spam mail because of the way I worded the post, but hopefully you can figure it out.  The store starts with the letter A 😊) I know it’s not much, but hopefully it will come in handy for something! I am hoping to somehow find the time to make award badges, too, but don’t hold your breath – my schedule is overloaded just now!

And now…

…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2026 VALENTINY CONTEST as voted on by you, our devoted readers!!!

rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat

DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!!! And a parade! And confetti! And balloons!!! And leftover Valentiny chocolates!!! Great job everyone!

Winners, as you know, my policy is to let first place have first choice of the prizes, then second place gets second choice, and so on. Please email me susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject Prize Winner at your earliest convenience with your choices listed in order of preference so I can hopefully get the prizes sorted out and handed out in a timely fashion! Please list as many prizes as your place (so, if you’re first, one choice will be sufficient 😊 if you’re fourteenth you’ll need to list 14.) The whole prize list is below for your convenience so you can re-read all the details, but I will also put a list at the bottom that you can copy and paste to make it easier to work with and create your preference list.

Congratulations again to all our winners – it was a stiff competition!! – and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest.  You all deserve a huge round of applause and a gigantic chocolate heart… or lots of little chocolate hearts… or both… really, you can never have too much chocolate 😊 .

Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people’s stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals.  It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!

Have a marvelous Thursday, everyone! 😊

The Prizes:  Swoonworthy! As always, we are so fortunate to have an abundance of wonderful prizes donated by our very generous friends in the kidlit community! Just look at all these goodies!

Get Your Manuscript on the Editor’s Desk!

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Read and Critique from Michele McAvoy,  Founder/Publisher, author and all-around #kidlit champion at The Little Press!

Michele McAvoy is a multi-award-winning children’s book author, publisher, attorney, and educator from New Jersey. While Michele wears many hats, they all point towards a single goal, bring entertaining and meaningful stories to kids. Michele’s published titles include Willa the Werewolf (The Little Press, Sept. 15, 2023), Buckingham Gets A New Shell (The Little Press, June 9, 2026), Cookie & Milk (Cardinal Rule Press, October 1, 2019), and Toby Undone.

Workshop/Consults!

⭐️ Kathy Halsey – Ask Infowoman – Library Consult for School Visit Presentation Kathy will offer advice for school visits and how to create “value-added” content that teachers will appreciate!

Kathy Halsey, children’s author, is a former English teacher and K-12 school librarian with an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Supervision who coordinated 15 successful school visits. She is the founder of Ask Infowoman: A Library Consult, a service for children’s authors and illustrators designed to make school visits more fun, instructive, and engaging. She is the author of Be A Rainbow (KiwiCo Press, 2023)

⭐️ A Free Admission Ticket to Rosie Pova’s April Workshop + A Breakthrough Consultation With Rosie for unagented and unpublished PB writers! The Breakthrough Consultation with Rosie is a one-on-one session with her, designed to help the writer identify and overcome any challenges they’re facing—whether it’s related to story craft, manuscript submissions, finding an agent, building an authentic author brand, or strengthening their online presence. During your session, Rosie will help them pinpoint what’s holding them back and create an actionable plan to help them move forward!

Rosie J. Pova is an award-winning, multi-published children’s author, poet, and writing coach. Her books include Sunday Rain, featured in The New York Times, The School of Failure, a Readers’ Favorite silver medalist, and her latest title, Sally’s Musical Tale. She is also the founder of Picture Book Author Academy, where she mentors aspiring authors toward publishing success. In addition, Rosie hosts monthly workshops with agents and editors, offering exclusive learning and submission opportunities for the kidlit community.

Rosie J. Pova

Zoom AMAs + !

⭐️ A 30-min Zoom AMA PLUS A Signed Copy of The Littlest Solstice Tree from talented author Lisa Varchol Perron! Do you have questions? Chat with Lisa!

Lisa Varchol Perron is a children’s author and poet based near Boston, Massachusetts. She especially enjoys writing about our natural world, including in her most recent picture books, The Littlest Solstice Tree (which began as a Holiday Contest Entry! 😊) (Beaming Books, Sept, 23, 2025), Wonder Why (HarperCollins, April 15, 2025), and All the Rocks We Love (Rise x Penguin Workshop, July 16, 2024), and Kite Day (forthcoming from Penguin Random House, April 21, 2026)!

⭐️ A 30-minute AMA Zoom chat with accomplished author Jolene Gutiérrez! Do you have questions? Chat with Jolene!

Jolene Gutiérrez is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian who has been working with neurodivergent learners since 1995. Jolene writes for young readers and hopes her books will help some readers feel seen and will help others learn and grow in compassion.  Her books include Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (Abrams BFYR, April 7, 2026), Mamiachi & Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band (Harry N. Abrams, Jan. 7, 2025), The Ofrenda That We Built (Chronicle Books, Aug. 6, 2024), Too Much! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams Appleseed, Aug. 1, 2023), and Bionic Beasts: Saving Animal Lives with Artificial Flippers, Legs, and Beaks (Millbrook Press, Oct. 6, 2020)

Winner’s Choice!

⭐️ Winner’s Choice of a signed Picture Book w/ Swag, Query Letter Critique, OR 3 Pitch Critique from gifted author Jilanne Hoffman!

Jilanne Hoffmann is the author of the award-winning picture book A River of Dust: The Life-Giving Link Between North Africa and the Amazon, illustrated by Eugenia Mello (Chronicle Books, July 25, 2023); two board books The Honey Bear Hive and Happy Camper (Amazon Editor’s Choice); and the nonfiction picture book The Ocean’s Heart, illustrated by Khoa Le, forthcoming from Millbrook Press (March, 2026). HeartLand, her historical middle grade novel in prose/verse, is forthcoming from Little Brown (July, 2026).

Picture Book Manuscript Critiques!

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Historical NF) from author Sharon Wilson! (apologies – no images available or provided!)

Sharon teaches picture book and basic novel writing at her local tech schools and colleges as well as at local libraries. She has an adult historical nove⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Historical NF) from author Sharon Wilson! (apologies – no images available or provided!)l and juvenile historical novel on submission. She won first prize  in the Oklahoma Federation of writers annual contest for both middle grade historical novel and adult historical novel and has won either second or first prize every year for each picture book that I have entered since 2014. She takes great care with her in-depth critiques.

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique from author Gabi Snyder!

Gabi Snyder is a fan of the unexpected and the celebrated author of several picture books including Two Dogs On A Trike (Harry N. Abrams, May 19, 2020), Listen (S&S/Paula Wiseman Books, July 13, 2021), Count On Us: Climate Activists From One To A Billion (Barefoot Books, Sept. 20, 2022), Today (S&S/Paula Wiseman Books, Jan. 30, 2024), and Look (S&S/Paula Wiseman Books, April 16, 2024). Gabi studied psychology at the University of Washington and creative writing at The University of Texas. When she’s not writing, she loves taking nature walks, visiting Little Free Libraries, and baking sweet treats. She lives in Oregon with her family.

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, no rhyme) PLUS A Copy of Each of her Picture Books from author Kris Tarantino!

Kris Tarantino is a children’s book author whose writing is filled with humor and heart. BedSlime Blues is her second book (WaterBrook/PRH, 2/3/2026). Her debut picture book, Be My ValenSlime (WaterBrook/PRH 2023), illustrated by New York Times bestselling illustrator Cori Doerrfeld, received a Starred Review from School Library Journal. A third book in the Slime series is planned for 2026. Kris is a member of SCBWI, and speaks frequently at conferences and schools. Most recently, she was selected to participate in the 2025 Storyfest literacy day in San Antonio, Texas. And in 2024, she was picked as a faculty presenter for the All Texas Y’all SCBWI Conference. Kris holds a B.A. in Business, Marketing, and Art. Prior to writing children’s books, she worked in marketing, licensing popular entertainment characters for companies that make fun products like toys, books, and balloons. You can find her online at https://kristarantino.com, as well as Twitter/X, Facebook LinkedIn

⭐️ Winner’s Choice of a Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyme or prose) OR A Query Letter Critique from author Kelly Conroy!

Kelly Conroy is the author of You Are My Everything (Tiger Tales, Nov. 5, 2024), I See You In The Stars: A Zodiac Book For Babies (Familius, Jan. 6, 2026), and the forthcoming Here A Creak, There A Shriek! (Tiger Tales, July 7, 2026). She loves all things magical, whimsical, and numerical, and her goal in life is to make people smile. For more information, please visit www.kellyconroy.com or follow her on Instagram @KellyConroyBooks.

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique from author Stacy Jensen!

Stacy S. Jensen is a children’s book author with a passion for history, research, and exploring new topics like she did as a newspaper journalist. Her debut book BEFORE I LIVED HERE, illustrated by Victo Ngai (Neal Porter Books, Aug. 26, 2025), was written while she lived in Colorado—inspired by her neighborhood. 

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Rhyming, 300 words or less) from author founder of Rhyme Revolution, Angie Karcher!

Angie Karcher is a Kindergarten teacher, developmental therapist and a children’s author since 2012. She is the former Indiana SCBWI Regional Advisor and host of Rhymerevolution.  Her books include Where the River Grins: The History of Evansville, Indiana (M.T. Publishing, 2012), The Legendary R.A. Cowboy Jones (M.T. Publishing, 2014), Santa’s Gift (M.T. Publishing, 2017), A Clean Sweep (M.T. Publishing, 2020), and The Lady of the Library (Sleeping Bear Press, March 15, 2021).

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction) AND a signed copy of IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE from author Cynthia Mackey!

Cynthia Mackey is a children’s author and poet living in Victoria, British Columbia. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s Zumba dancing to latin rhythms, chasing after butterflies to get photos, or listening for bird songs on her morning walks. Her books include IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE, illustrated by Vikki Zhang (Yeehoo Press, May 2025), and the forthcoming BUTTERFLY SEA, illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët (pub date: Tielmour Press, Jan 30, 2026)

Purchase Links for Canadians: If A Bumblebee Lands On Your Toe & Butterfly Sea

⭐️ A Bundle of Two Books by talented authors Pamela Courtney and Ann Magee!

1. From Pamela Courtney, a signed copy of A SEASON FOR FISHIN’: A Fish Fry Tradition

Pam’s Louisiana upbringing inspired her 2025 debut A Season for Fishin’, A Fish Fry Tradition and  nurtured her life’s passion for writing, teaching, music. Combining these loves, Pam brings the eyes of a classroom teacher to each narrative she crafts and created MyLMNOP, a literacy and music program for early learners  “My duty is great,” says Pam. “I am a writer who teaches. I am a teacher who writes.”

together with

2. From Ann Magee a signed copy of BRANCHES OF HOPE: The 9/11 Survivor Tree!

Ann Magee is an elementary school educator, children’s writer, and lifelong learner. She lives in NJ and is an active member of SCBWI. Stories that especially interest her are ones of unknown, yet significant people and historical events. She also is drawn to stories that reveal the positive ways people (and children) impact the environment.

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, recommending their books for school and library purchases, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊

Copy and Paste List for Prize Winners 1-14

A Picture Book Manuscript Read and Critique from Michele McAvoy,  Founder/Publisher, author and all-around #kidlit champion at The Little Press!

Kathy Halsey – Ask Infowoman – Library Consult for School Visit Presentation Kathy will offer advice for school visits and how to create “value-added” content that teachers will appreciate!

A Free Admission Ticket to Rosie Pova’s April Workshop + A Breakthrough Consultation With Rosie for unagented and unpublished PB writers!

A 30-min Zoom AMA PLUS A Signed Copy of The Littlest Solstice Tree from talented author Lisa Varchol Perron! Do you have questions? Chat with Lisa!

A 30-minute AMA Zoom chat with accomplished author Jolene Gutiérrez! Do you have questions? Chat with Jolene!

Winner’s Choice of a signed Picture Book w/ Swag, Query Letter Critique, OR 3 Pitch Critique from gifted author Jilanne Hoffman!

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Historical NF) from author Sharon Wilson!

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique from author Gabi Snyder!

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, no rhyme) PLUS A Copy of Each of her Picture Books from author Kris Tarantino!

Winner’s Choice of a Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyme or prose) OR A Query Letter Critique from author Kelly Conroy!

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique from author Stacy Jensen!

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Rhyming, 300 words or less) from author founder of Rhyme Revolution, Angie Karcher!

A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction) AND a signed copy of IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE from author Cynthia Mackey!

A Bundle of Two Books by talented authors Pamela Courtney and Ann Magee! From Pamela Courtney, a signed copy of A SEASON FOR FISHIN’: A Fish Fry Tradition and from Ann Magee a signed copy of BRANCHES OF HOPE: The 9/11 Survivor Tree!