Best Chapter Book for 5-8-year-olds 2024

There are three rounds of reading and judging. The first is undertaken by our dedicated Searchlight Awards’ founder, Kim Donovan. Stories are then allocated to a team of experts in children’s writing, all with recognised qualifications and experience in Writing for Young People/Creative Writing, who carry out the second round of reading and decide the best 20 entries for the longlist. In the last round, a guest judge reads all 20 stories, chooses the top 10 entries for the shortlist and an overall winner.

Here are some of the things our judges will be looking for:

• Originality or an unusual twist
• Writing craft
• Voice
• Simple text and vocabularly
• Memorable
• Appealing to 5-8-year-old child

• Your story must be suitable for a reader aged between five and eight.
• The chapter should be a maximum of 1000 words and the pitch should be no more than 80 words. Submit them together in a single document. If you want some help with writing a pitch, read our post which you can find here.
• Illustrations can be included but only the text will be judged. Maximum file size 10mb.
• Your submission should be double-spaced, a size 12 font, and submitted as a doc, docx or PDF file.
• Begin your story with the title. Please don’t include any other identifying information on the file, such as your name, as stories are read blind.
• Entries need to be in English.
• Multiple entries are permitted. However, we require a separate entry form and a new payment each time.
• Stories cannot be altered after they are submitted. Refunds are not given if a story is withdrawn.
• Entrants must be 16 years and over.
• Stories must be previously unpublished as whole books. However, self-published chapter books are eligible.
• Stories that have been previously longlisted or shortlisted by Searchlight Awards cannot be entered again.
• Entries from authors worldwide are welcome.
• AI generated entries are not eligible.
• While entrants retain full copyright, by entering the Best Chapter Book for 5 – 8-year-olds 2024 competition you give permission, if shortlisted, for us to publish your name, photograph, biography and a short extract of your story on the Searchlight Awards’ website and in media, for promotional purposes.
• By entering the Best Chapter Book for 5 – 8-year-olds 2024 competition you give permission, if shortlisted, for us to include your story in Searchlight’s Pitch Book of winning stories, which will be sent to UK literary agents and publishers. If you do not wish to have your story promoted to agents/publishers you may opt out on the entry form.
• The decision of the readers and judges is final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding judging. We are unable to provide individual feedback.
• The competition organisers have the right to change the judge.
• Results will be posted on the Searchlight Awards’ website and winners will be emailed on 31^st May 2024.
• By entering the Best Chapter Book for 5 – 8-year-olds 2024 competition, entrants agree to these rules.