I hope you all had lovely weekends, and that those of you within range of Snowmageddon all stayed safe and warm! For I think the first time in history, the storm missed Blueberry Hill – we may have gotten a quarter millimeter of snow, but that might be exaggerating 🙂
I realize that Monday afternoon is an odd time for a blog post, but I have a few minutes, and some very important news to share! So I’m taking a totally random moment here to say that kidlit folks are the best in the world – absolutely and without equivocation!
First Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest! Guidelines HERE
Scrambling to rummage up some prizes for the unplanned Valentiny Contest, I sent out a few hopeful requests – some to people I knew, some to people I didn’t! – asking if they’d be willing to donate expertise/time/work/awesome books. Without exception, every single person I asked stepped up and offered a prize! I’ve got such an abundance, I’m not even sure we’ll need them all for this new contest, which may not receive the number of entries the more established ones do. So I hope, after you’ve seen what’s on offer, you’ll spread the word to all your kidlit friends because there’s some REALLY great stuff up for grabs 🙂
Check it out!
– A Picture Book Read and Critique from literary agent Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis who is actively building her picture book list!
ART OF ARC is a self-study course that will deepen your understanding of picture books written with a classic arc and introduce you to other picture book structures. The course gives you tools to analyze your work prior to investing in professional critiques. It shows you how to avoid common writing errors and how apply writing elements that will enhance your stories to take them to a higher level. It includes 217 pages with ten lessons, seventeen supplements, and eighteen worksheets. Plus bonus materials and resources.
– A Picture Book Critique/Developmental Edit (non-rhyming picture book manuscript) from Beth Stilborn. (Beth does developmental editing and copy editing through her Flubs2Fixes Editing, Consulting and Writers’ Resources service for writers. http://www.flubs2fixes.com )
– A Picture Book Critique from the fabulous Robin Newman, author of The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake and the forthcoming, eagerly awaited Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep (please don’t miss the fantastic trailer! 🙂 )
– personalized signed copies of The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake and Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep by Robin Newman
– a personalized signed copy of The Night Before Valentines Day by Natasha Wing! Natasha Wing loves Valentine’s Day because it’s a week after her birthday. Natasha is the bestselling author of The Night Before series (Grosset & Dunlap). To find out more: www.natashawing.com
For those of you who are feeling too overwhelmed to count, that is TEN (10!!!) unbelievably awesome prizes!!! So I hope we get at least 10 entries! 🙂
Please join me in thanking Christa, Jodell, Julie & Emma, Alayne, Beth, Robin, and Natasha for their incredible generosity, and show your appreciation by visiting their sites, buying and recommending their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, writing them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and showing your appreciation to them in any way you can! I truly can’t thank them all enough!
I think I have to go with either Cupcake Gingersocks or Candy Sparklepants, though… although Elvis McJingle is very appealing too! Which one do you think I should pick?
And you should go get yours! Right now! And share it in the comments! You know you want to… 🙂 I’m all about the giving over here – I went and researched these helpful links just for you, so that you could waste a little time spend the holidays being called by your official Elf Name 🙂 Think of it as my little holiday gift to you 🙂
So now, happy holidays! See you in 2016! May the force be with you etc.!
What?
You were expecting to discuss something else?
Something more important than official Elf Names? (as if there could be anything more important…!)
Oh!
Right!
I knew there was something else. . .
🙂
The5thAnnualHolidayContest!!!!
WINNERS!!!
As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! Really! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Tuesday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another.
So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: David McMullin for Christmas In Discomfort (also so original and creative) Jaclyn Kruzie for A Rockin’ Christmas Wish Sam Steinfels for Unsilent Night Melissa Bulls for Santa’s Stain (also a fun-for-kids mystery) Heather ??? for A Real Christmas Tree
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories) Wendy Greenley for Cookin’ Up The Holiday Kid-Style Kirsten Bock Mel The Marshmallow’s Cocoa Catastrophe (also great ending!) Gabi Snyder Christmas With Kevin The Nanny Bot
3. For Excellence In Evoking Mood And Holiday Spirit And Tradition: Joni Klein-Higger for Happy Festival Of Lights Shelly Bond for Christmas Story Time! Tracey Cox for Zippin’ Around On Christmas Eve
4. For Beautiful Rendition Of The Christmas Story: Kristi Veitenheimer for A Christmas Birth Aileen Stewart for Huddled Around The Stable Door
5. For Most Original Setting: Anne Sawan for The Outback Christmas Hop Lorraine Nelson for A Very Spacey Christmas
6. For Favorite Character: Marla LeSage for spunky, resourceful, entertaining Sheila in Holiday Heist
7. For Best-Written Original Point Of View: Julie Bergman for The Little Burnt Latke (POV of a latke!) Joanne Sher for Precious Cargo (POV of the donkey who carried Mary)
8. For Fun Story In Fewest Words: Miranda Ireland for Christmas Party Hop (4 lines, 44 words – the overworked judges love you :))
9. For Best Entry For Parents 🙂 Shari Schwarz for Rocking Beside The Christmas Tree (so sweet :))
10. For Best Entry For Writers 🙂 Debbie Austin for What Happened When I First Sat Down To Write This Story (so clever and entertainingly done! – writers you will not want to miss this one!)
11. For Fun Well-Written Animal Entries: Ashley Franklin for Picture Perfect (dog) Catherine Flynn for Pouncing Around The Christmas Tree (cat) Carol Lescinski for Rockin’ Reindeer Jo Hart for Jungle Bell Rock (a whole menagerie :))
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they’re about) (and if you request a paperback, please include your snail mail address!)
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2015 HOLIDAY CONTEST as voted on by you!!!
rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat
DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!
In First Place…
Winner of the whole shebang…
who gets first choice of all the prizes…
Jennifer Reinharz
for The Hanukkah Elf!!!
Congratulations, Jennifer, on a fabulous entry that was clearly very popular!!! 🙂
In Second Place…
Vivian Kirkfield
for The Christmas Seed
Congratulations, Vivian!! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Jennifer makes her choice.
In Third Place…
Suzy Levinson
for City Critter Christmas
Congratulations, Suzy! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Jennifer and Vivian choose theirs.
In Fourth Place…
Cindy Williams Schrauben
for Jugglin’ High For Pumpkin Pie
Congratulations, Cindy! You get to pick after Jennifer, Vivian, and Suzy.
In Fifth Place…
Kris Allen
for The Incident
Congratulations, Kris! You get to pick after Jennifer, Vivian, Suzy, and Cindy.
In Sixth Place…
Lisa Connors
for The Gift Of The Magpie (And Friends)
Congratulations, Lisa! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 🙂
In Seventh Place…
Sandy Jones
for Red Berries In The Snow
Congratulations, Sandy! You get to pick next 🙂
In Eighth Place… a 4-way tie!
Linda Schueler
for Randolph, Not A Reindeer
Nancy Tandon
for No Peeking!
Sheila Lynch-Afryl
for Clucking Christmas
Jen Bagan
for Ned’s Christmas Wish
Congratulations, Linda, Nancy, Sheila and Jen! You get to pick after Sandy! And we’ll just have to sort it out between us since you tied!
And in Twelfth Place, rounding out the top dozen of these amazing finalists and the 97 Holiday Contest Entries for 2015…
Deborah Boerema
for A New Classic?
All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! And for your convenience, the whole prize list is included at the bottom of this post.
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 Holiday Treat which is not fruitcake! (unless you happen to like it :))
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!
As I… hmm… maybe didn’t mention…?, I’m taking a little blogging break so I can spend time with my family – I’ve got children to fetch, cookies to bake, Christmas presents to shop for and wrap, and my sister and her family are arriving form Georgia on Monday! 🙂 – Oh, and we’re going to see the new Star Wars movie on Wednesday! So I will see you all in a couple weeks – most probably Wednesday January 6th for Would You Read It 🙂
So now, I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday filled with love, laughter, joy, and family, and a happy, healthy and successful new year! It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to spend time with you all, and I’m happy and grateful to know each and every one of you!
Looking forward to all the things we’ll do in 2016!
Happy Holidays, and all best wishes for a wonderful New Year!!!
Love,
Susanna
The Prizes!!! (items in color are links for more info!):
– A Picture Book Manuscript read and critique (winner’s choice of in-person, on the phone, or via email) by Claire Dorsett, Editorial Assistant, Roaring Brook Press!!! A bibliophile and outdoor enthusiast, Claire spent her childhood summers road-tripping across the United States, reading constantly on the long car rides between parks and museums. Her love of literature led her to pursue a BA in English from Cornell University, where she was involved with campus publications The Daily Sun and Rainy Day literary magazine. Claire then completed the six-week intensive Columbia Publishing Course before finding a home at Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, assisting VP and Publisher Simon Boughton. She has worked on a range of projects during her time at Roaring Brook, including Lane Smith’s middle-grade debut Return to Augie Hobble, Steve Sheinkin’s National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, and picture books The Skunk, There is a Tribe of Kids, and Ned The Knitting Pirate. – a brand new Picture Book Webinar Bundle including one webinar on Concept Books and the other on Rhyme, Verse and Lyricism in Picture Books, generously donated by Emma Walton Hamilton, author, editor, writing coach, and teacher of the fabulous Just Write For Kids courses. – a 2016 Membership to Children’s Book Insider, including their Children’s Writing Knowledge Base, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes – A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author/illustrator Iza Trapani, author of JINGLE BELLS, OLD KING COLE, ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and many, many more! – A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the fabulous Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! – an e-copy of the fantastic How To Promote Your Children’s Book generously donated by Katie Davis!
– Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class – in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) – A 6-Month Membership to the new and fabulous One Stop For Writers Site! – 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. – another 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. – a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards (hitherto un-introduced to the world!) – writing prompts for every occasion 🙂 – another pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards
I can’t thank these authors and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
The Contest Winner gets first choice of the prizes. 2nd place gets next choice of what’s left and so on. I do it this way in the hopes that no one will get something they already have and also because I think all the prizes are fabulous and I wouldn’t want to make anyone feel less valued by giving them as 6th place as opposed to 1st. 🙂
Nervous tics and twitches popping up at every turn!
And chocolate of all kinds being consumed in an uncontrolled fashion!!!
(Well, okay, I admit that around here the chocolate thing is pretty much par for the course, not confined to anxiety over waiting for contest finalists to be posted… uncontrolled chocolate consumption is a good thing :))
But I do sympathize!
Bad enough that I always make you wait the weekend to find out who the contest finalists are, but this time I made you wait a WHOLE EXTRA DAY! I’m so sorry!
Is that a jam stain on your blouse?
Please.
Go take a shower and put on clean clothes.
We’ll wait. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
There now.
Isn’t that better?
And now, at long last, the waiting is over!
Almost 🙂
Because as always, we must begin with a few words from the people in charge around here.
First, I want to thank EVERYONE who found time in their busy holiday season schedule to write an entry for this contest – all 96 of you! The overall quality of the entries was amazing! There were no easy cuts. My assistant judges and I found something to like in every story and hated having to cut anyone!
Second, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time to go around to as many of the 48 different blogs as you could, as well as the 48 entries posted in the comments here, and read and leave supportive comments for the writers who worked so hard on these stories. In this business where rejection is a common and unavoidable part of the process, it means a great deal to writers to know that their work was read and enjoyed, and to receive a few kind words about their writing. It is one of the best things about this community – that people are so generous and kind to each other.
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how really difficult it was to choose. There were so many fabulous entries. The sheer volume meant that many great stories had to be cut. So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point – we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn’t make the final cut 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. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to hone and tweak if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Finally, I’d like to be very clear about the voting process. Due to the large number of entries, there are 12 finalists listed below. I have deliberately listed them by title only, so as to help with objectivity. Please read through them and choose the one you feel is best and vote. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about Mrs. Claus dancing the makaraina with Rudolph or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.
Now, without further ado, here are your finalists. There is a mix of poetry and prose, funny, cute, and poignant – quite a spread! Remember that the judging criteria were: 1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness or whose humor or content felt more appropriate for an older or adult audience did not make the cut. 2. It (hopefully) goes without saying that you must follow the contest rules – there were very specific instructions about the opening line which almost all of you followed to the letter… but a couple of strong entries did not. I thought the instructions were clear because of the multiple examples given… but one entry in particular caused serious debate among the judges as to whether the rules had been followed or not – the opening line was clearly modeled on the song but did not follow the pattern spelled out. In the end, we did not add that entry to the finalist list because some people who weren’t sure emailed for clarification and this author did not, and about 90 of the 96 entries followed the correct pattern flawlessly. So… executive decision… although we weren’t entirely happy about it. 3. Quality of story – the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn’t make the cut. We looked for a true story arc, and unfortunately there were quite a few lovely, well-written entries that failed to meet this criteria. 4. Quality of writing – use of language, correctness of tense, spelling and grammar, quality of rhyme and meter for the poetry entries, and overall impression of writing were factored in. 5. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another. We cut 84 entries to leave you with these 12. It was very hard! We did the best we could. There were a number of stories where the judges loved the concept, but the rhyme/meter needed too much work to make the finals. And there were some that modeled the song beautifully with perfect meter and rhyme that failed to tell a story. In any case, I hope you’ll all find at least one of your favorites on the list below. #1CITY CRITTER CHRISTMAS
Soaring over skaters at the Rockefeller Rink,
Pigeon spies a Christmas tree and stops to have a think.
Perched upon a frosty branch that twinkles red and blue,
he wishes that the holidays were meant for critters, too.
Dashing through the Christmas tree in front of 30 Rock,
Squirrel bumps into Pigeon and he stops to have a talk.
“Why so sad?” he asks the bird. “It’s Christmas Eve, you know.”
“Not for critters,” Pigeon says. “Hey, look who’s right below!”
Trudging home from Macy’s (where he worked a double shift)…
it’s Santa Claus! He slips, he slides, he winds up in a drift!
Squirrel and Pigeon watch him fall—it’s not a jolly sight.
They scurry down the Christmas tree to see if he’s all right.
Twisting on the sidewalk while the critters yank his boot,
Santa Claus begins to yell, “Lay off my Santa suit!”
“We’ll help you up,” the critters say. “We know you’re in a rush!
You should be heading to your sleigh, not stuck here in the slush!”
Getting to his feet as shoppers shop and skaters twirl,
Santa grins at Pigeon, then he turns and grins at Squirrel.
“Thanks,” he tells the critters, gently wringing out his hat.
“I’ll give you both a Christmas gift!” They like the sound of that.
Sharing roasted chestnuts Santa purchased on the street,
Squirrel and Pigeon sit upon their Christmas tree and eat.
They look out at the city, filled with angels, while they chew,
agreeing that the holidays are meant for critters, too.
#2Red Berries in the Snow
Hopping along the twisty trail in the quiet, wintry woods, Rabbit spied red berries poking through the snow. “The Giver will be here soon,” he squealed. Then a heavy branch dropped snow on his head. Rabbit’s whiskers froze into tiny icicles.
He hopped to Mole’s house and thumped his foot on the cold ground near the door. Thump, Thumpity-Thump, Thump. “I saw red berries in the snow!” Rabbit hollered down the hole. “Please tell the Giver that I’d like a warm scarf this year. I’m going home to thaw my whiskers.”
Mole was dizzy from Rabbit’s wild thumping, but he clawed his way through his dark tunnel and popped out next to Mouse’s tidy nest. “Red berries in the snow,” Mole announced. “Kindly tell the Giver that Rabbit would like a scarf to keep his whiskers warm. And I would like a lamp for my tunnel. I’m going to sit in my favorite chair until my aching head feels better.”
“Oh dear, oh dear,” stammered Mouse as she pulled on her boots. “Rabbit and Mole are so impatient. Red Berries in the snow! Scarves and lamps! I’ve no time to waste.” She scurried up an oak tree and teetered on a tiny branch. “Good evening Owl,” she said. “It’s the sharing season and we must send the Giver a message. Tell him that Rabbit would like a warm scarf and Mole would like a bright lamp. Since I never seem to have enough time, I would like a watch.”
Owl listened carefully, then he lifted his strong wings and flew North until he saw the tallest evergreen in the woods. He circled it three times and landed deep within its boughs.
In the warmth of the morning, Rabbit found his scarf. Mole switched on his lamp and Mouse admired her watch. Beside each present lay a note that read: Your greatest gift will be found just outside your door. “Hooray!” said Rabbit, and he threw open his door. Mole and Mouse were staring back at him, and he knew the Giver’s words were true.
#3The Incident
Fleeting through the crowded aisles Of the mall – both hands held tight, ‘Cause Mom and Dad are really mad About “the incident” tonight.
It all started with a fun-filled trip To sit on Santa’s knee So I could tell him all the things I hoped he’d bring for me.
But when I saw the line of kids Went far past Santa’s sleigh, I knew somewhere, someway, somehow, I had to get away.
So I thought up an escape route, ‘Cause I think it’s so unfair, For kids to wait instead of play When toys are everywhere.
Quick – I bolted up the steps, Down aisles, and through a store. I figured it was better than that long line – what a bore!
But the store was NOT a fun one. It was filled with frilly things, Stuff that grown-up ladies wear, NO TOYS like Santa brings.
And then . . . my parents found me. I knew it wasn’t good. So I hid inside a clothes rack Like any smart kid would.
Then without so much as looking, Mom reached in and grabbed my collar While Dad stood with his lips pinched tight, trying not to holler.
They yanked me from that clothes rack, Past holiday displays, Down the escalator, And ’round people like a maze.
And as we fled past Santa, I thought I saw him grin – I guess I’ll send a letter About how good I’ve been.
#4The Hanukkah Elf
Tapping on the window pane at the Klein family home was Max, Santa’s hungriest elf. He was waving a jar and a letter. It read:
Dear Santa,
Potato pancakes, jelly donuts, games and light. Please come to my house on Hanukkah.
Love, Joe
“Santa has to deliver presents tonight,” the elf stepped inside. “So he sent me, Max. And this oil. When do we eat?”
“After we light the menorah,” Joe said. “Bring the jar.”
Max filled each of the eight cups with Santa’s gift. The boy and the elf lit the wicks.
The menorah glowed bright, but Santa’s oil was gone.
Joe frowned. “We need more to make the latkes and sufganiyot.”
Max’s stomach growled. “Time for a little elf magic.”
Twinkle. Wiggle. Clap.
The jar refilled. “Okay, Joe. Let’s get cooking.”
Max flipped the potato pancakes. Joe fried the donuts.
The boy and the elf devoured their feast.
Bellies full, faces sticky with applesauce and jam, Max and Joe settled their stomachs with a game of dreidel.
“I think I’ll save my chocolate winnings for the ride home,” Max said.
Joe read the letters on the top. “Nun. Gimel. He. Shin. In Hebrew that stands for A Great Miracle Happened There. Thank you for the oil.”
“I came for the food and made friend,” Max smiled. “I hope we can celebrate Hanukkah together again. Santa will be flying by soon. I should get to the roof.”
But Max didn’t move.
“What’s wrong?” asked Joe.
“How will Santa know where to find me? This isn’t one of his usual stops.”
“Yes it is.” Joe grinned and pointed to the stockings on the mantle. “We celebrate Christmas too. Merry Christmas, Max!”
“Happy Everything, Joe!”
#5The Christmas Seed
Circling round the planet Mars on their space craft RV-3,
the children begged and pleaded for a real live Christmas tree.
“There is no way,” cried Maw and Paw, “for that to come about.”
So Sue and Lou and Baby Boo would have to do without.
No Christmas tree? That cannot be…they vowed to find a way.
Sue climbed up high and searched the sky, but only saw a sleigh.
And Lou got tangled in the lights while looking in a drawer.
And Baby Boo picked up a seed as he crawled on the floor.
“Take that away,” cried Maw and Paw, “that’s not for Boo to eat”
But Boo skedaddled like a flash to the ejection seat.
Maw screamed! Lou tripped! Sue scrambled down! Paw reached to
save his kid.
They heard a BOOM! It shook the room! The spaceship blew its lid!
They watched as Boo flew through the air; it was a fearful sight.
This wasn’t quite the way they’d planned to spend this Christmas
night.
And Maw, she moaned, and Paw, he groaned, and Sue and Lou,
they cried.
But then they heard a HO! HO! HO! and Santa slid inside.
He opened up his big red sack – plucked out a doll for Sue,
a watch for Paw, a book for Maw, a bat and ball for Lou.
But Maw and Paw, their faces drooped, and Sue and Lou, they
frowned,
until they heard, deep in the sack, a most familiar sound.
Then Santa reached way down inside and pulled out Baby Boo.
“I saved the best for last,” he said. “This one’s for all of you!”
And scrambling up onto his sleigh, he pointed straight at Mars
The seed Boo found had grown into a Christmas tree with stars.
And Santa’s booming voice rang out as he rode out of sight,
“May peace and love and joy be yours on this and every night.”
So if you get a telescope, please aim the lens towards Mars,
and you might see Boo’s Christmas tree, adorned with twinkling
stars.
#6 Randolph, Not A Reindeer
“Packing up the presents at the North Pole workshop.” The elves and reindeer sang the traditional Christmas song. But Randolph couldn’t sing. Tears made the words stick in his throat. Randolph was thinking about when Santa had told him that Randolph had not been chosen to pull the sleigh. “It’s not that you’re not fast enough, Randolph,” Santa had said, his eyes sad. “It’s…” “Yes, I know, Santa,” Randolph had said, blinking back the tears. He had heard the rumours already. How all the children had cried, because Randolph had melted all the snow as he flew by. Because Randolph was not a reindeer, but a raindeer, it rained wherever he went. So instead of singing with the elves and reindeer, Randolph was doing what he did best: cleaning. The elves started to chatter about the snowstorm that had taken place the night before in Canada. “I’ve heard the snow is all the way to the rooftops,” said one elf. “Santa is bringing extra food along,” said another. The Christmas sleigh flew off , and everyone listened to the radio as it gave updates on Santa’s progress. All was well. Then Santa hit Canada. The radio crackled, “Santa here, over. We’ve got an emergency, over. Send over everyone, over.” Santa wanted everyone? Even Randolph? Randolph flew high in the sky. Faster, faster, faster until he reached Santa and his sleigh. Snow was not only up to the rooftops, but it was also covering the chimneys. That meant that Santa could not deliver the presents and food! Elves were digging out the chimneys as fast as they could, but it was not fast enough. Randolph knew what he must do. He flew over a house. The rain from the raindeer’s clouds melted the snow from the roof. Soon the chimney was exposed. “Ho ho ho, well done, Randolph,” laughed Santa. Santa went down the chimney, and then Randolph flew to the next house. And the next one. “Packing up the presents at the North Pole workshop.” The elves and reindeer sang as they worked, and this time Randolph sang along.
#7No Peeking!
Sneakin’ around the present stash
At the bottom of the tree,
In stealth mode, got my ninja on,
Look how black-ops I can be!
I shouldn’t look, but too late now,
Hey, I think this one’s for me!
Later I might regret this choice,
But right now I’ve got to see.
Santa, please forgive me sir, it’s awfully hard to wait.
Voices saying, “It’s not Christmas – put that present down right now, Miss!”
Sneakin’ around the present stash
Is the most fun thing to do.
Parents are at their office bash,
If you were me, you’d peek too!
Here I go, I’m gonna open just one little gift.
Peel the tape slow, careful – don’t tear…
Jokes on me now, I got UNDERWEAR!
Wrap it back up, no time to waste
Hide this sneaky thing I did.
I’ll call St. Nick and plead my case,
“Please remember, I’m a kid!”
#8The Gift Of The Magpie (And Friends)
Flitting around the birdfeeder at the tiny woodland house, birds of all kinds shared the feast that appeared like magic when winter arrived. Chickadee dipped and swooped while spreading his dee dee dee cheer. Goldfinch called po-ta-to-chip. Titmouse tap-tapped his seed. Magpie noticed Sparrow whose feathers slumped as she stared in the window.
“What’s wrong dear friend? In this season of chill, these people feed us from their goodwill. You should chirp, you should sing, you should eat your fill.”
“It’s the boy,” Sparrow cried.
The birds loved the boy. He watched them whenever he was home, and he spent his allowance on birdseed.
“His mom said there isn’t enough money to buy a Christmas tree this year.”
Magpie peered into the house. The boy was drawing birds, but Magpie saw him wipe his eyes.
“We’ll help him smile, I do decree. We’ll get our friend a Christmas tree.”
The closest trees to the house were maples and oaks whose leaves had fallen for the winter. Squirrel nibbled the stem of a young cedar tree so they could take it to the boy. But the whole flock of birds couldn’t lift one tree.
“Plan B is better, this I know. You’ll still need your muscles though,” Magpie enthused.
They practiced making tree-shaped pyramids, but the bottom birds got tired or hungry before the star-bird could settle on top. On their third attempt the neighbor’s cat almost got her own Christmas treat! Feathers flew; Cat missed, but Magpie got an idea!
“Who says we need an evergreen? Come all my friends, it’s time to preen!”
On the dawn-quiet of Christmas morning, the boy donned boots and a coat. He went to the closest maple by his window to hang birdseed ornaments for his friends. He gasped and smiled. From it’s naked branches hung colorful, delicate feathers gleaming with the new day’s light. He sang out loud as he added his ornaments. “Merry Christmas my woodland friends!” The morning air filled with bird song in reply.
#9A New Classic?
Waiting in line for Santa’s knee
At the mall we always shop.
Suddenly, someone nudges me.
It’s an undercover cop!
You will not believe this crazy story when you hear…
He’s dressed like an elf, by golly!
In my shock, I drop my dolly.
The cop asks for my help, you see.
This is what he has to say:
“Three bullies have been on a spree.
For their stunts they now must pay!”
“They must be stopped,” I do agree
“What kind of help can I bring?”
He replies, “Teamwork is the key.
We will organize a sting.
“Those creeps are smashing candy canes swiped from little kids.
Wait ‘til you get to Santa’s chair.
Then get your cane, and I’ll be there.
“They’ll grab your treat and try to flee.
It will really make my day
To catch them in the act—all three—
And propel them on their way.”
Our plan works out just perfectly.
We make an unlikely team:
An elf cop and a little girl.
Sounds just like a wacky dream!
The mall’s now very safe, you’ll find;
So hop up on Santa’s lap.
Watch out if mischief’s on your mind,
For we’ll set another trap!
#10Clucking Christmas
Sneezing around the reindeer pen on the night before Christmas… AAAAACHOOOO! HOOONK! Santa blew his nose for the 50th time that Christmas Eve. “You’re done with your bath, Donner. Now you’re sparkling clean for our big… ACHOOO! HONK! …night.”
Mrs. Claus, with Agnes, her favorite backyard chicken, clucking behind her, said, “Santa dear, you’re allergic to those reindeer. There’s no way they can lead your sleigh tonight.”
A triple sneeze shot out of Santa and onto Donner. “Hogwash,” Santa muttered weakly.
Agnes scurried back to the henhouse. “Santa’s allergic to the reindeer. We have to help him!”
“Poor Santa! He’s a good egg,” Beaker moaned.
“Should we buy him allergy pills?” Lovey asked.
“This is our big chance!” Dixie flapped.
“Everyone in favor say ‘squawk,’ ” said Agnes.
“Squawk!” It was unanimous.
The chickens bustled outside and took a place in front of the sleigh.
Santa sighed. “I guess I have no choice. Reindeer, you get the night off.” He grabbed the reins. “On Agnes! On Bertha!”
The chickens weren’t listening. “Agnes! Why did he call your name first?!” Dixie clucked.
“Jiminy Christmas! You chickens don’t rule the roost,” Santa sputtered. “On Lovey! On Beaker!”
The chickens frantically flapped their wings. The sleigh crept forward, then moved faster and faster. It lifted a foot off the ground and Santa breathed a sigh of relief.
But CRASH it fell back to the ground.
“On Dixie! On Betty!” The chickens started flapping, and again the sleigh gained speed. Faster and faster it went, until—
“To the left! To the left!” Santa shouted as Mrs. Claus rolled out of the way.
And THUD, a bottle of Reindeer Wash that Santa left in the sleigh fell over and spilled.
“ACHOO!” he sneezed.
“Why, Santa,” Mrs. Claus said, “you must be allergic to the Reindeer Wash, not the reindeer!”
“Whew! Chickens, thanks for your service, but…On Donner! On Blitzen!”
The chickens watched the sleigh glide off into the sky. “Well, it looks like they flew the coop,” Agnes said. She turned on their favorite song. “Squawking around the Christmas tree in the Clauses’ chicken coop.”
#11JUGGLIN’ HIGH FOR PUMPKIN PIE
Glidin’ aside this luscious grub at the festive Christmas Feast.
I’ll indulge in every dish. One small bite, at least.
I love stuffing, beans, and squash, but treats are always last.
Pumpkin pie’s my favorite prize. I’d better get there fast.
Stacking food up tall and wide, I’m hoping it won’t slop.
Ham and yams and tators mashed, it’s one big goopy glop.
The massive mound slants, slopes, and slides, the situation’s bleak.
Guess it’s time to pull off my best juggling technique.
Swivel left and sway back right, can’t let this mountain slip.
The butter in my pocket’s warm, it’s just about to drip.
Seems I’ll need another plate, can’t manage one more crumb.
I’ll balance it atop my head, an olive on each thumb.
Berries slide right down my nose and plop on my new shoe.
Deviled eggs are in my hair with greasy gravy goo.
A drumstick’s safe beneath my arm. Rolls are in my shirt.
Thought I’d never make it but, at last, I spot dessert.
Almost there. I’m getting close. There ‘s lusciousness in sight…
lick my lips and take a whiff, a holiday delight.
Slow and steady, grab the last of Nana’s pumpkin pie.
Trap it tight between my chin and snazzy blue bow-tie.
I sneak beneath the food buffet, can’t make it to my seat.
Got my pie, but now I’m simply too wiped out to eat.
#12NED’S CHRISTMAS WISH
Chipping through the ice of the glistening forest pond, Ned the turtle finally breaks through and inhales deeply. This is the year, he thinks. Timmy Elf will finally call my name for the sleigh loading.
Ned arrives at the clearing as Timmy says, “And that’s it. Thank you for helping us each Christmas Eve. We couldn’t load the sleigh in time without you.”
Ned inches closer and sees the usual foxes, hares and bobcats high-fiving each other as they wait in Vixen’s sled. Timmy takes the reins and Ned cries,
“WAAAIITTTT!”
“Not again,” Timmy mutters.
Ned gasps,
“You didn’t call my name? Please give me a chance.”
Timmy considers.
“OK – if you promise to stay put, you can finally come see for yourself why this is no job for a turtle.”
When they land at the North Pole, Ned stays in Vixen’s sled while the others spring into action. He watches as a flurry of hands, paws and hooves stack presents in the sleigh. Suddenly, it’s jostled and a small doll flies through the air and lands right below Ned. The tag says,
For Mary: Next year will be better. Love, Santa
“Two minutes to take off!” cries Timmy.
Ned raises his claw.
“Excuse me? There’s a doll here.”
In their frantic rush, nobody hears him. Ned knows this doll is important. Carefully he climbs off the sled.
I can do this, he thinks.
Ned reaches the doll and gently nudges her onto his back. He keeps his eyes on the sleigh and plods with determination.
Timmy calls, “Hooves up in one minute!”
Ned surges forward and bumps smack into Santa’s boot. He looks up.
“Wow,” says a stunned Ned.
Santa smiles and takes the doll.
“Thank you, my friend. This one is special.”
They take off and Ned beams as he watches the sleigh glide across the sky.
Timmy rushes over and snaps,
“I told you to stay on the sled.”
Then he sighs.
“Now do you understand why turtles could never help with this job?”
Ned doesn’t listen. He did help tonight. His Christmas wish came true.
* * * * *
PHEW! Now that you’ve had a chance to read through the finalists, please vote below for the one you think deserves to win by Thursday December 17 at 5 PM EST. Winners of all kinds will be announced on Friday December 18! (Possibly a bit late, I forewarn you, as I will be out of office all day on the 17th!) I know. That gives you a little less voting time than usual (because I took up an extra day with judging) but I want to be able to announce the winners on Friday so we can then all go off happily to our holiday celebrations 🙂
Thank you all so much for taking the time to write (if you did), read, and vote! These contests simply wouldn’t be what they are without all of you!
I can’t wait to see who the winners will be!
Tune in Friday (no PPBF!)… same bat time, same bat station 🙂
The Contest: Write a children’s story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) beginning with any version of “Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop.” You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version “[Verb of your choice]ing [any preposition you choose] the [any item you choose] [any preposition you choose] the [venue of your choice].” For example, “Surfing along the wind-whipped waves at the Yuletide barbeque,” or “Wandering through the pine-sweet woods at the cut-your-own tree farm,” or “Quarreling in the checkout line at the local Toys R Us,” or “Waltzing among the candy canes at the Holiday Bazaar”…. You get the idea, I’m sure 🙂 But “Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop” is completely acceptable too – whatever works for you 🙂 Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest :)) (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful :)), but no more than 350!) 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 on your blog between right now this very second and Friday December 11 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Sunday December 13 (no WYRI or PPBF during that week.) If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my December 7th post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I’ll post your entry for you! But please don’t send attachments! Just copy and paste your story into the email.) And please be sure to include your byline!! We don’t want to have to guess who wrote your entry!
The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 10-12 finalists (depending on the number of entries) which will be posted here on either Monday December 14 or Tuesday December 15 (depending on the number of entries :)) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Thursday December 17 at 5 PM EST and the winners will be announced on Friday December 18. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place. Judging criteria will be kid appeal/kid-friendliness, creativity, quality of story, quality of writing, and originality.
The Prizes!: Wow! We’ve got some truly great prizes! (items in color are links for more info!):
– A Picture Book Manuscript read and critique (winner’s choice of in-person, on the phone, or via email) by Claire Dorsett, Editorial Assistant, Roaring Brook Press!!! A bibliophile and outdoor enthusiast, Claire spent her childhood summers road-tripping across the United States, reading constantly on the long car rides between parks and museums. Her love of literature led her to pursue a BA in English from Cornell University, where she was involved with campus publications The Daily Sun and Rainy Day literary magazine. Claire then completed the six-week intensive Columbia Publishing Course before finding a home at Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, assisting VP and Publisher Simon Boughton. She has worked on a range of projects during her time at Roaring Brook, including Lane Smith’s middle-grade debut Return to Augie Hobble, Steve Sheinkin’s National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, and picture books The Skunk, There is a Tribe of Kids, and Ned The Knitting Pirate. – a brand new Picture Book Webinar Bundle including one webinar on Concept Books and the other on Rhyme, Verse and Lyricism in Picture Books, generously donated by Emma Walton Hamilton, author, editor, writing coach, and teacher of the fabulous Just Write For Kids courses. – a 2016 Membership to Children’s Book Insider, including their Children’s Writing Knowledge Base, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes – A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author/illustrator Iza Trapani, author of JINGLE BELLS, OLD KING COLE, ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and many, many more! – A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the fabulous Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! – an e-copy of the fantastic How To Promote Your Children’s Book generously donated by Katie Davis!
– Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class – in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) – A 6-Month Membership to the new and fabulous One Stop For Writers Site! – 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. – another 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. – a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards (hitherto un-introduced to the world!) – writing prompts for every occasion 🙂 – another pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards
I can’t thank these authors and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
The Contest Winner will have first choice of the prizes. 2nd place will have next choice of what’s left and so on. (I’m doing it this way in the hopes that no one will get something they already have and also because I think all the prizes are fabulous and I wouldn’t want to make anyone feel less valued by giving them as 6th place as opposed to 1st.)
So let’s get this Holiday Party started! 🙂
I want to warn you in advance that this may actually be the worst story I’ve ever written – embarrassing for me, but very comforting for anyone who is worried about the quality of their story – I can say with complete confidence that ANYTHING you write will be better than this sample! 🙂 Every time I do this I’m amazed by how fast I use up my 350 words!
Christmas Pie
350 words
Skimming across the sugar snow in a one-horse open sleigh, Rabbit headed for the Holiday Festival with his specialty Christmas Pie, fresh-baked, still warm, and smelling delicious!
He passed Mouse.
“May I have a ride?” asked Mouse.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Mouse climbed up beside Rabbit and off they went.
Soon they passed Squirrel.
“May I have a ride?” asked Squirrel.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Squirrel climbed up beside Rabbit and Mouse and off they went.
Soon they passed Possum.
“May I have a ride?” asked Possum.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Before long they had passed the Turkey Twins, Raccoon, Badger, Fox, Bobcat, and Deer and his eight out-of-town cousins visiting from somewhere up North, and they ALL climbed in. The sleigh was very crowded indeed, but the pie sat safe beside Rabbit, fresh-baked, still warm, and smelling delicious!
“Got room for one more?” asked Bear as they drew up alongside him.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Bear hopped in.
But the way had grown steep…
…and the sleigh was VERY full!
Pretty soon the horse stalled out and the sleigh wouldn’t budge another inch.
“We’ll help!” volunteered the passengers, and they all got out to push.
Up, up, up the hill they went until…
…YIKES!
The hill pitched steeply down the other side.
The sleigh took off at high speed and crashed into a snow bank at the bottom.
Animals tumbled helter-skelter.
The Christmas Pie sailed through the air…
…and landed high in the branches of the Holiday Festival Christmas Tree!
“My pie!” wailed Rabbit.“We’ll never get it down!”
“Yes, we will!” said Bear.
Squirrel, Possum, the Turkey Twins, Raccoon, Badger, Fox, Bobcat, and Deer and his eight cousins all climbed up on Bear.All the way to the top of that tippy-tippy tower climbed Mouse, who plucked the pie from the high branches and passed it down to Rabbit, fresh-baked, still warm, and smelling delicious!
“Hurray!” cheered Rabbit.
And they all ate Christmas Pie!
So now! Is everyone filled with confidence about their entries? I certainly hope so after that display! Never let it be said that I’m not willing to make a fool of myself for you guys 🙂 It just proves how much I love you 🙂
I can’t wait to read all of your (much better!) stories! I hope there will be a lot – the more the merrier! And there are still nearly 5 days to write, so you have time if you haven’t written yet and want to join the fun. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well. If you just want to enjoy reading, that’s great too! We need all the readers we can get, so feel free to spread the word to parents and teachers! And what better way to entertain yourself and your kids while waiting for the holiday goodies to bake? Or get someone to read aloud while everyone else wraps presents 🙂
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
Rejoice! and let the festivities begin!!! 🙂
Don’t miss the 48 fabulous entries in the comment section! Click on the names to go to the story. Please note that it takes a minute to load. And please also note that clicking on these links will allow you to read the story and leave your own comment, but not see previous comments left on that story… I don’t know why… so if you want to see all the comments left on the story, you’ll have to scroll through the whole comment section.
Lindsay – Zippin’ Around The Chaos Tree Julie – The Christmas Tarts Lori – A Modern Hanukkah Miracle Lorraine – A Very Spacey Christmas Carol – Rockin’ Reindeer Ann – Guardian Angel Miranda – Christmas Party Hop Suzanne – Santa’s Stolen Suit Barbara – Christmas On An Island Sharon – A Tree For The City Tracie #1 – Scrambling Around The Christmas Tree Tracie #2 – Shopping Around For A Christmas Tree Cindy – Rocking Chair Fun Jana – The Yule Tide Polly – Picking On Nick Anne – The Outback Christmas Hop Jenifer – Splashing Through The Ocean Corine – Saint Nikolaos Of Myra Tracie #3 – Santa’s Jeep Rebecca – Chicken Trouble Melissa – Santa’s Stain Julie B – The Little Burnt Latke Kris – The Incident Debbie #2 – What Happened When I First Sat Down To Write This Story Debbie #1 – Christmas Eve Emergency Kim – Henrik The Tall Reindeer Sam – Unsilent Night Joni – Happy Festival Of Lights Kirsten – Mel The Marshmallow’s Cocoa Catastrophe Mary – The Santa Coin Sara – Dancing Around The Christmas Tree Valerie – Santa Doesn’t Make Mistakes Sheila – Clucking Christmas Maureen – Pajama Party Predicament Kristen – Sweet Dreams For Santa Cindy – Jugglin’ High For Pumpkin Pie Jen B – Ned’s Christmas Wish Summer– The Best Christmas Jessie – A Christmas Without Books Suzy – City Critter Christmas Gayla – A Rockin’ Heavenly Christmas Sandy – Red Berries In The Snow Kelly – The Ice Queen’s Pond Shelley – A Yawn Bird Christmas Bonnie – Christmas Eve At The Grand Old House Patricia – The After-Christmas Elf Party Nancy – Bethlehem Road Ken – Waiting To See Santa
So nice of you to drop by on Monday and visit me! I missed you so over the weekend 🙂
And you won’t be sorry for coming over!
I have SUCH exciting news!!!
Guess what???
I have invented a new recipe!
Yes! It’s true!
I must give credit where credit is due. I was inspired by Shelley Kinder in a blog comment on the Halloweensie Winner’s post. During all the talk about nuts vs. no nuts in dessert, she suggested the benefits of peanut butter chips… and an idea was born!
Lo and behold, my new recipe:
Take the brownie recipe of your choice and add 1/2 (or 1/2 +) cup of peanut butter chips! YUM!
And this gave rise to ANOTHER idea… add 1/2 (or 1/2+) cup of toffee chips!
OR add 1/2 (or 1/2+) cup of crushed peppermint!
OR go the s’mores route and add 1/2 cup mini marshmallows and 1/4-1/2 cup graham cracker cereal! (Although that might get mushy… I’ll have to experiment…! Maybe crushed graham cracker at the bottom with the brownie batter mixed with marshmallows added on top…?)
I KNOW!
And you’re welcome, because I know I have just given you a whole new outlook on your holiday baking plans! 🙂
At least, I’ve given MYSELF a whole new outlook on MY holiday baking plans! 🙂
And the added benefit? An unexpected Monday Something Chocolate Snack:
Please forgive the photos – I’m a baker not a photographer 🙂 – but I promise they taste delicious!!! 🙂
So, thanks for stopping by. I hope it was worth your time. And I hope you weren’t expecting anything else…
What?
You were expecting something else?
Well in that case…
…maybe I should tell you…
…that it’s time for…
The5thAnnualHolidayContest!!!!
WA-HOOO!!!! 🙂
The Contest: Write a children’s story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) beginning with any version of “Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop.” You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version “[Verb of your choice]ing [any preposition you choose] the [any item you choose] [any preposition you choose] the [venue of your choice].” For example, “Surfing along the wind-whipped waves at the Yuletide barbeque,” or “Wandering through the pine-sweet woods at the cut-your-own tree farm,” or “Quarreling in the checkout line at the local Toys R Us,” or “Waltzing among the candy canes at the Holiday Bazaar”…. You get the idea, I’m sure 🙂 But “Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop” is completely acceptable too – whatever works for you 🙂 Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest :)) (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful :)), but no more than 350!) 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 on your blog between 12:01 AM EST Monday December 7 and Friday December 11 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on the official holiday contest post which will go up on my blog on Monday December 7 and remain up through Sunday December 13 (no WYRI or PPBF during that week.) If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my December 7th post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I’ll post your entry for you! But please don’t send attachments! Just copy and paste your story into the email.)
The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 10-12 finalists (depending on the number of entries) which will be posted here on either Monday December 14 or Tuesday December 15 (depending on the number of entries :)) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Thursday December 17 at 5 PM EST and the winners will be announced on Friday December 18. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place. Judging criteria will be kid appeal/kid-friendliness, creativity, quality of story, quality of writing, and originality.
The Prizes!: Ok, so I’m still working on the prize list and will have to update, but here are some of the prizes that will be offered, and I think we’re going to have some additional awesomeness to add! (items in color are links for more info!):
– A Picture Book Manuscript read and critique (winner’s choice of in-person, on the phone, or via email) by Claire Dorsett, Editorial Assistant, Roaring Brook Press!!! A bibliophile and outdoor enthusiast, Claire spent her childhood summers road-tripping across the United States, reading constantly on the long car rides between parks and museums. Her love of literature led her to pursue a BA in English from Cornell University, where she was involved with campus publications The Daily Sun and Rainy Day literary magazine. Claire then completed the six-week intensive Columbia Publishing Course before finding a home at Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, assisting VP and Publisher Simon Boughton. She has worked on a range of projects during her time at Roaring Brook, including Lane Smith’s middle-grade debut Return to Augie Hobble, Steve Sheinkin’s National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, and picture books The Skunk, There is a Tribe of Kids, and Ned The Knitting Pirate. – a brand new Picture Book Webinar Bundle including one webinar on Concept Books and the other on Rhyme, Verse and Lyricism in Picture Books, generously donated by Emma Walton Hamilton, author, editor, writing coach, and teacher of the fabulous Just Write For Kids courses. – a 2016 membership to Children’s Book Insider, including their Children’s Writing Knowledge Base, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes – A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author/illustrator Iza Trapani, author of JINGLE BELLS, OLD KING COLE, ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and many, many more! – A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the fabulous Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! – Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class – in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) – 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. – a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards (hitherto un-introduced to the world!)
I can’t thank these authors and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
And now! Sharpen those pencils! Top off those coffee mugs! Get those derrieres in your chairs! And start writing those prize-winning entries!!!
Ear of snake and tongue of bat! It’s finally time for…
The 5th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂 (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got over 130 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form – e.g. haunt, haunts, haunted, darkness, darkening, costumed, whathaveyou 🙂 No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Friday October 30th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the link list below. There will be no Would You Read It this week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don’t have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it’s up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we’ll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 2nd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 5th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I’ll probably end up giving everyone a prize 🙂 But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it 🙂
The Prizes: as always, our generous community has contributed some truly amazing prizes!
Tricia is the “Pacific Northwest branch” of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 19 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from kids books to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist.
As agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won’t let go.
Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia’s writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here and here.
– a picture book manuscript critique by Diana Murray! website
Diana Murray writes stories and poems for children. She is the author of several forthcoming picture books, including CITY SHAPES illustrated by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown, June 2016), GRIMELDA: THE VERY MESSY WITCH illustrated by Heather Ross (Katherine Tegen Books /HarperCollins, July 2016), NED THE KNITTING PIRATE illustrated by Leslie Lammle (Roaring Brook Press /Macmillan, August 2016), and GROGGLE’S MONSTER VALENTINEillustrated by Bats Langley (Sky Pony Press, Fall 2016).
Diana was awarded the 2010 SCBWI Barbara Karlin Work-in-Progress Grant for a picture book manuscript. She has many poems published and forthcoming in magazines, including Spider, Highlights, High Five, and Hello. Diana won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for poetry in 2013 and 2014, as well as the Honor Award in 2013. Diana is represented by Brianne Johnson at Writers House literary agency. She recently moved from the Bronx to a nearby suburb, where she lives with her husband, two very messy children, and a goldfish named Pickle.
Heather is a mom by day, children’s book writer by night, and librarian on the side. Her picture book, Bedtime Monster, is published by Raven Tree Press. She has far too many manuscripts in various stages of development. If only she didn’t need sleep! Represented by Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. – a 6 month subscription to One Stop For Writers (value $50)
Please join me again 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 holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N or anywhere else if you like them, or supporting them in any other way you can dream up 🙂
Now then. Time for my sample entry which I provide because I would never ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. Also, in case anyone is worried about the quality of their entry they have only to read my truly horrific attempt to be filled with confidence that their’s is MUCH better! I have to confess, I was really down to the wire this year (my schedule is a little bit nuts!), so, ahem, yeah.. maybe I’ll think up something better during the week and swap it!
So, here goes nothing…!
Halloween Surprise! (100 words)
Halloween.Trick-or-treat.
Spooky shadows.Darkenedstreet.
Suddenly my brother, Jay,
Tugs my arm.“Let’s go this way!”
He pulls me off the beaten track,
Passes Old Man Clancy’s shack.
Creeping fog licks at our heels.
I don’t like the way this feels.
Something glides in silent flight,
Ghostly shapes against the night.
“Witches!Let’s go home!” I say.
“Owls.Let’s go on,” says Jay.
Spidered moonlight through the trees.
Heartbeat pounding.Shaky knees.
Up ahead this haunted night
Monsters dance by bonfire light!
Turning!Running!
Then, “SURPRISE!”
Costumed monsters end disguise.
Cake and presents, friends who say,
“Happy Halloween Birthday!”
Everyone feeling better about their stories now? I should certainly HOPE so! 🙂
I can’t wait to read all of yours! I’m so looking forward to them! I hope there will be a lot – the more the merrier! And there are still 4 days to write, so you have time if you haven’t written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
And there are 70 fabulous entries in the comment section below that you won’t want to miss! (Names are links)
Lynne – Boo Who? Julie – The Teensy Weensy Witch Joyce – Scary Scary Halloween Amanda S – The Haunted Dash Sam – Spooky Spies Marilyn – The Best Treats Jessica – Peek A Boo Moon Scarecrow Pamela – Libbybeth, Prettiest Monsterette Jen – Halloween At Last Bonnie – Happy Scary Halloween Sandy – Clothespin Costume Marty – The Old House Sherri – A Night Of Fright Jacqueline – Grow A Ghoul Anne – The Little Ghost’s Audition Jason – Peace, Love And Happy Halloween Linda – Dorchester’s Last Dance Christine – Charlotte And The Ghost Maria – Best Halloween Ever Chrystal – Paisley The Ghostling Pat C – I AM A Monster Pam W – The Hidden Costume Mindy – Dizzy Bat Michele– Unseen Halloween Carol – Scaredy Bat Lisa – Mo, The Ghost Who Said Moo Polly – Nothing To Wear Pia – Do Not Open This Door! Jen W – Jack-o-ween Jen M – Halloween In The Park J. Bea – Dark Dark In The Park Ruth – Nellie Pinkerton Needs A Costume Jana – The Unicorn Ate My Candy Corn – A Halloween Tall Tale Eleanor – Lillie’s Magic Halloween Wand! Jim – Jeepers Creepers Victoria – Is There Anything As Scary Jennifer – In The Dark Of Night Terri – Willow Marty #2 – No Costume, No Candy Debbie – Gharret And Marty JC – Broom Trouble Stephanie – Mummy Unveiled Vicky – The Sun And His Silly Trick Melissa – Bunny’s Costume Penny – Belle Of The Halloween Ball Katrina – Early Monster Lori – Indelible! Suzy – Trick For Treats Shelley – A Meaty Trick Or Treat Sharon C – The Disappearing Candy Sharon W – The Haunted Well Juli – Hallow-eek! Kathleen – Dark Sparkles Rob – Scratch, Bones And Boo Anne – The Haunted Halloween Ball Patricia C – The Pumpkin Pie Witches Shelley #2 – The Little Witch Who Lost Her Hat Heather – The Cackle Sandy – Frank-N-Stein’s Store Elizabeth – The Ghost Of Mary Jane Elizabeth #2 – The Bug Ghost Carol – Haunt Couture Robin – In The Darkness Charlotte – Scaredy Cat Ghost Susan – The House On The Corner Nancy – Dinoween Jill – Aaahhh, Aaahhh, BOO! Sandy P – The King Of Screams Rhonda – Trick Or Treat Trouble Rachel – Sweet Matilda Conquers Her Fear
I hope you’re all enjoying days off from school and work!!!
You know what I always say?
What better way to celebrate Columbus Day then by talking about Halloween?!
And what’s more interesting, fun and exciting about Halloween then anything else (except for miniature candy bars that have no calories because of their tiny-ness!)???
The 5th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
Can you believe we’re at the 5th???!!!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂 (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got over 130 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form – e.g. haunt, haunts, haunted, darkness, darkening, costumed, whathaveyou 🙂 No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between 12:00 AM EDT Monday October 26th and Friday October 30th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list that will accompany my October 26th post. There will be no Would You Read It that week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don’t have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it’s up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we’ll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 2nd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 5th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I’ll probably end up giving everyone a prize 🙂 But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it 🙂
The Prizes: yeah… I’m still working on the prizes 🙂 Feel free to chime in in the comments if there’s something you’d particularly like to win! 🙂 But prizes will include:
Tricia is the “Pacific Northwest branch” of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 19 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from kids books to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist.
As agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won’t let go.
Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia’s writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here and here.
Tricia will be attending or on the faculty at the following upcoming conferences and events:
– a picture book manuscript critique by Diana Murray! website
Diana Murray writes stories and poems for children. She is the author of several forthcoming picture books, including CITY SHAPES illustrated by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown, June 2016), GRIMELDA: THE VERY MESSY WITCH illustrated by Heather Ross (Katherine Tegen Books /HarperCollins, July 2016), NED THE KNITTING PIRATE illustrated by Leslie Lammle (Roaring Brook Press /Macmillan, August 2016), and GROGGLE’S MONSTER VALENTINEillustrated by Bats Langley (Sky Pony Press, Fall 2016).
Diana was awarded the 2010 SCBWI Barbara Karlin Work-in-Progress Grant for a picture book manuscript. She has many poems published and forthcoming in magazines, including Spider, Highlights, High Five, and Hello. Diana won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for poetry in 2013 and 2014, as well as the Honor Award in 2013. Diana is represented by Brianne Johnson at Writers House literary agency. She recently moved from the Bronx to a nearby suburb, where she lives with her husband, two very messy children, and a goldfish named Pickle.
– a signed copy of Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca Gomez’s What About Moose?
Plus whatever else I dream up in the meantime 🙂
I hope those fantabulous prizes fill you with enthusiasm for the contest!
So sharpen your pencils!
Get your butt in that chair!
See what amazing, knock-your-socks-off story you can dream up!
It’s a chance to hone your writing skills, practice your craft, write to specifications and a deadline, win amazing prizes, AND get to read and enjoy the wonderful stories written by all your fellows 🙂
Many, many thanks to Tricia, Diana, Heather, Corey, and Amy for their very generous prize offerings!
I know none of you has gotten a minute of rest or a wink of sleep for days, what with the torturous anticipation of finding out who the winners of the contest are!
No doubt you have paced a hole in your carpet!
But fear not! The day has arrived!
Are you ready to see who won?
The2ndAnnualPrettyMuchWorldFamous
IllustrationContestforChildren’sIllustrators!
Great!
Me, too!
I just have one quick thing to say, which is that EVERYONE who entered this contest should be very proud of themselves. You all showed up, put in the work, produced GORGEOUS illustrations, followed guidelines, and worked to a deadline – all very important skills to practice when illustrating and/or writing is your profession 🙂 Even if you didn’t make the finals, be assured that your illustrations were greatly enjoyed by many upon many! Seriously! I am not making this up. The contest post with all your links had around 3000 views, which means lots of people were visiting you, even if they didn’t all comment! So we are giving you a round of thunderous applause – clapclapclapclapclap!!!!! – and you should pat yourselves on the back and have an extra slice of chocolate cake – you did good! 🙂
– a Canson sketch pad and a small set of Derwent or Faber Castell colored pencils
and of course you ALL get the bragging rights to having won or placed in a Pretty Much World Famous Contest! 🙂 Winners, please email me so we can talk details 🙂
Thank you again to all the illustrators who participated in this contest and treated us all to such beautiful artwork; to our wonderful judges, Iza Trapani and Lisa Thiesing, without whom we could not have done this!; and to all the readers and viewers who visited, commented, and voted to celebrate these talented artists! It is all of you who make these contests fun and worthwhile!
Have a spectacular 4th of July Weekend, Everyone!!!
WOO HOO! The day has finally arrived! It’s time for . . .
The2ndAnnualPrettyMuchWorldFamous
IllustrationContestforChildren’sIllustrators!
The Contest: Draw/Paint/Create a children’s picture book illustration (no text required – art only) the topic for which shall be
discovery
Above all things, these illustrations are meant to evoke story, so it is crucial that they present at least one character, a setting, and ideally hint at/suggest some kind of plot or conflict idea.
Illustrations should be 8×10, horizontal or vertical, any medium, posted in jpg at least 72 px. Illustrators may enter more than one entry if they’re feeling ambitious 🙂
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Friday June 26 at 9 PM EDT (contest deadline!) Please add your post-specific link to the link list below which will remain up all week so that people will be able to come visit and enjoy your amazing artwork. If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, you will be able to copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, you may email me and I’ll post your entry for you!)
Judging: entries will be judged by multi-talented, award-winning author/illustrators Iza Trapani, author and illustrator of over 20 gorgeous picture books, and Lisa Thiesing, author and illustrator of 40 beautiful and fun picture books and early readers! Judging criteria to include:
– does the illustration evoke a sense of story,
– is the picture readable to a young audience,
– how well does it show the character(s) and
– is/are the character(s) appealing (character development),
– originality,
– skill.
They will narrow down the entrants to 6 finalists (or possibly a couple more or less depending on the number of entries :)) which will be posted here on Monday June 29 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on Thursday July 2 and the winner will be announced on Friday July 3… along with something for the writers in our audience, so stay tuned! 🙂
The Prizes!: There will definitely be a 1st prize. Whether we give prizes for 1st only, 1st-3rd, or 1st-6th will depend on how many entries we get. We need at least 12 entries to place through 3rd, and at least 20 to place through 6th. We’ve got some great prizes lined up including a chance to take Mark Mitchell’s fantastic Make Your Marks And Splashes Online Children’s Book Illustration Class (a $249 value, but really priceless!) This class is packed with video lessons on the topics of drawing, painting, and children’s book illustration and video interviews with children’s illustrators. It also includes three months of online group critique sessions (2 sessions per month, at this point) with Mark and guest instructors, so the winner could also get the equivalent of a portfolio critique if she/he participated in all six of the sessions. You can read all about it here: http://howtobeachildrensbookillustrator.com/NewCoursehome2/
– a Canson sketch pad and a small set of Derwent or Faber Castell colored pencils
and of course the bragging rights to having won or placed in a Pretty Much World Famous Contest! 🙂 So ready, set, GO! artists! We can’t wait to see what you’ve created! We’re ready to be inspired! 🙂 Remember, add your post-specific blog link to the link list below or email your illustration to me for posting here! Below are 9 entires (so far) in the post, and the link list is down below them. Entry from Tina Marantette:
illustration copyright Tina Marantette 2015
Entry #1 from Kristeen Mathews: discovery on the farm
illustration copyright Kristeen Mathews 2015
Entry #2 from Kristeen Mathews: discovery in a book
Look at us: throwing routine to the dogs and showing up here on a Monday when (thanks to this crazy busy year) I no longer post hardly EVer! We are such rebels! 🙂
I know why you’re here. It’s because I told you on Friday I had something to tell you…
And I do!
And just wait until you hear what it is, because it’s SO AMAZING!
Are you ready?
You must be.
I feel like life has fallen into monotony and we’re all just going through the motions. We need something to shake things up! And I have just the thing. . .
Wait for it . . .
I’m considering getting my hair trimmed.
I know! Earth-shattering, right?
It’s true.
After two plus (2+!) years of avoiding all institutions where shampoo and scissors coexist after the Great Hair Debacle of 2013, I’m thinking that maybe the situation is getting just a wee bit out of hand and I may require an eensy weensy teeny tiny little itty bitty bit off the bottom.
Just a smidge.
Nothing too drastic.
Nothing to recall the horror of April 2013! *shudder*
But something.
Aren’t you glad you all came over here? I mean, it’s not every day that news like this hits the world wide web!
Thanks for taking time out of your busy Monday to stop by and hear about my possible hair plans – the drama, the dilemma, the dream! And hey! This takes hair-brained scheme to a whole new level!
So really, thanks for stopping by.
Oh, and by the way, before you leave?
WE’RE HAVING A CONTEST!!!!!!! Because it’s been ages and it’s high time we had some high jinx and shenanigans around here! 🙂
The2ndAnnualPrettyMuchWorldFamous
IllustrationContestforChildren’sIllustrators!
Yes! It’s true! We had so much fun with it last year, running the Illustration Contest on the back of the Writing Contest, that we’re doing it again! Only this time, because we in the picture book world love, admire, and depend on our illustrators, we’re doing it the other way around – the illustrator’s are up first! 🙂
The Contest: Draw/Paint/Create a children’s picture book illustration (no text required – art only) the topic for which shall be
discovery
Above all things, these illustrations are meant to evoke story, so it is crucial that they present at least one character, a setting, and ideally hint at/suggest some kind of plot or conflict idea.
Illustrations should be 8×10, horizontal or vertical, any medium, posted in jpg at least 72 px. Illustrators may enter more than one entry if they’re feeling ambitious 🙂
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between Monday June 22 and Friday June 26 at 9 PM EDT (contest deadline!) You will be able to add your post-specific link to the link list on my Monday June 22 post which will remain up all week so that people will be able to come visit and enjoy your amazing artwork. If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, you will be able to copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, you may email me and I’ll post your entry for you!)
Judging: entries will be judged by multi-talented, award-winning author/illustrators Iza Trapani, author and illustrator of over 20 gorgeous picture books, and Lisa Thiesing, author and illustrator of 40 beautiful and fun picture books and early readers! Judging criteria to include:
– does the illustration evoke a sense of story,
– is the picture readable to a young audience,
– how well does it show the character(s) and
– is/are the character(s) appealing (character development),
– originality,
– skill.
They will narrow down the entrants to 6 finalists (or possibly a couple more or less depending on the number of entries :)) which will be posted here on Monday June 29 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on Thursday July 2 and the winner will be announced on Friday July 3… along with something for the writers in our audience, so stay tuned! 🙂
The Prizes!: There will definitely be a 1st prize. Whether we give prizes for 1st only, 1st-3rd, or 1st-6th will depend on how many entries we get. We need at least 12 entries to place through 3rd, and at least 20 to place through 6th. We’ve got some great prizes lined up (and are still working on them…) including a chance to take Mark Mitchell’s fantastic Make Your Marks And Splashes Online Children’s Book Illustration Class (a $249 value, but really priceless!) This class is packed with video lessons on the topics of drawing, painting and children’s book illustration and video interviews with children’s illustrators. It also includes three months of online group critique sessions (2 sessions per month, at this point) with Mark and guest instructors, so the winner could also get the equivalent of a portfolio critique if she/he participated in all six of the sessions. You can read all about it here: http://howtobeachildrensbookillustrator.com/NewCoursehome2/
– a Canson sketch pad and a small set of Derwent or Faber Castell colored pencils
and of course the bragging rights to having won or placed in a Pretty Much World Famous Contest! 🙂 So artists, get out your pencils, paints, brushes, crayons, collage materials, magic markers – whatever it is you create with! – and see what you can dream up! We will all be waiting with great anticipation for the fruits of your talent – to admire, share, and enjoy! You’ve got 3 whole weeks – almost 4 if you post on the last day – so ready, set, draw/paint/create! 🙂 Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! (Oh, and P.S. – if anyone feels like sharing this around to spread the word, that would be great. I want to be sure illustrators hear about it so they can join the fun and be in the winning for fabulous prizes! Many thanks in advance!)
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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