The Neilson Hays Library has announced the launch of its inaugural children’s writing competition, “Neilson Hays Young Writers Awards”. From now until 28 February 2017, students ages 10 to 18 are invited to submit illustrated children’s picture books or short stories in English to this competition. The theme is “hope”.

Aspiring young writers and illustrators in the final round will be invited to participate in a workshop at Chakrabongse Villa, where published writers and illustrators will critique and coach the students on their works. Winners of the competition will see their works read out loud by prominent figures in the literary and art world, as well as be presented certificates and a cash prize of 10,000 baht per category.  The final awards ceremony will be in June 2017.

Below are the competition rules and submission mechanics.

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NEILSON HAYS YOUNG WRITERS AWARDS 2017
INSTRUCTIONS AND RULES

THEME: “Hope”

CONTEST CATEGORIES:
A. Original picture books by 12 years and under (12 pages, 300 words), Thai/Bilingual schools
B. Original picture books by 12 years and under (12 pages, 300 words), International schools
C. Original picture books by 16 years and under (16 pages, 500 words), Thai/Bilingual schools
D. Original picture books by 16 years and under (16 pages, 500 words), International schools
E. Original short story by 18 years and under (800-1,000 words), all schools

KEY DATES:
Submission deadline: No later than 28 February 2017
Finalists’ Workshop: 3 finalist teams for each category will be invited for a workshop with published authors and illustrators in March 2017.
Awards ceremony: The final awards ceremony will take place in June 2017.

SUBMISSION MECHANICS:
1. ONE hard copy should be sent via registered mail or by hand to:

Neilson Hays Young Writers Awards
Neilson Hays Library
195 Surawongse Road,
Si Phraya, Bangrak,
Bangkok 10500
Telephone: 02-233-1731

Categories A-D: picture book mock-up no larger than A4 size
Category E: Typed, double-space, font size 13 on A4 size paper

2. ONE electronic copy of the work in PDF file should also be sent to [email protected]library.com. For categories A-D, please send a single PDF file per entry, otherwise your work may be disqualified.

3. An entry form and 500 baht fee is required per entry upon submission. Receipt or payment record must be included in the submission packet. (See instructions on the entry form, which can be downloaded here.)

4. Deadline: 28 February 2017

RULES:
• All works must be original and will be checked for plagiarism.
• Entries should not have been previously published (online postings should be removed prior to submission).
• For categories A-D, individuals or teams of up to 3 students may submit one entry to each category. Category E is individual work.
• Peer editing is allowed (in the same grade or younger).
• No adult assistance with the following exception: parents/teachers/older siblings are welcome to type out the work of younger writers, but should not make corrections other than spelling mistakes for the sake of comprehension. The texts for picture books may be handwritten. Minor grammatical mistakes shall not be penalized.
• Please retain a copy of all works submitted, as we are not able to return anything.
• Entries will be judged on creativity, story-telling flair, and use of effective illustration (for picture books).

PRIZES:
• 1st prize – 10,000 baht cash prize per category, regardless of the number of team members. Winners will also receive certificates from the library.
• 2nd and 3rd runners-up will receive certificates from the library.

For more information, please visit NeilsonHaysLibrary.com.