Creative Kids Tales - 2017
Magic, Mystery or Skateboards Competition (Authors)
Sponsored by Faber Writing Academy
Our themed competitions continue to grow in popularity. This year’s competition offers you three – Magic, Mystery or Skateboards. You need only to choose one, and we encourage you to let your imagination run wild with potential story lines. Our judges love humour, twists and turns and the extremely entertaining. Your submission should be no more than 650 words and be suitable for children between 3 - 12.
All entrants in our Magic, Mystery or Skateboards competition will receive a feedback sheet.
01:feb
Opens: 1 February 2017
30:apr
Closes: 30 April 2017 at 11.59pm (Entries received after 30 April 2017 will not be accepted.)
Winners will be announced on the Creative Kids Tales website on 1 July 2017 and all prizes will be distributed by 31 July 2017.
Prizes:
1st Prize - Will receive a $295 Faber Writing Academy voucher to be redeemed at one of their writing courses in either Sydney or Melbourne – valid for 12 months from 1st July 2017*.
($295 covers the cost of a 1 day course (incl GST) or you can use it towards the cost of a longer Faber Academy course) faberwritingacademy.com.au
2nd Prize - Will receive a detailed critique of their entry through the Creative Kids Tales Manuscript Assessment service. Value $125
3rd Prize - Will receive a $50 book pack and one year membership with Creative Kids Tales.
All other entrants will receive a feedback sheet.The winners entries will be displayed on the Creative Kids Tales website.
Conditions of Entry:
Submissions must be original work by the addressee only. Your entry must not have been accepted for publication (in print or online) or won a prize in any other competition at time of submission.
Entries by Australian residents aged between 18 - 110 years old. Your story must appeal to children aged between 3 - 12 years of age.
650 word limit (entries over this limit will be disqualified without further correspondence). Picture book entries accepted.
No illustrations or illustration notes to be included.
Entry Fee: $20 (please see payment options below) If paying by PayPal please include an additional $1 for the PayPal processing fee eg $21.
Guidelines:
Cover page with full contact details including word count.
Proof of payment.
All pages to be numbered in the footer, bottom right. Eg. 1 of 2 pages etc. (Do not include entrants name in the footer)
The manuscript must be submitted in 12 point Times New Roman font with left justification, double-spaced with an indent to indicate new paragraphs.
Please ensure there is a 3cm margin at the top, bottom, left and right of each page.
Entry to be submitted in English with correct spelling and grammar.
The judges’ decision will be final. No correspondence will be entered into.
Entries will be accepted via email only. Please email entries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before 30th April 2017.
* Travel to and from Faber Academy in Sydney or Melbourne will be the responsibility of the winner. Creative Kids Tales is not liable for any travel or accommodation costs incurred.
Payment Options:
PayPal account: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(If paying by PayPal please include an additional $1 for the PayPal processing fee. Eg $21 )
OR
| Direct deposit | St George Bank |
| Account name | CZ Donaghey |
| BSB | 112 879 |
| Account number | 057 430 829 |
You can enter as many times as you like. Good luck!
About Faber Writing Academy
Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin is an exciting writing programme offering a range of courses from one-day workshops to longer courses devised by the foremost practitioners in their fields.
Since launching its first course at Shakespeare & Co bookshop in Paris in 2008, Faber Academy has tutored more than 1500 students in courses ranging from one-day workshops such as Getting Published as a Writer for Children to longer courses including our popular program Writing for Children.
Faber Academy was established by iconic London publishing house Faber and Faber to provide high quality, practical creative writing courses that draw participants into the epicentre of the book publishing world. The writing courses are devised and run by leading figures in contemporary publishing. To date, Faber Academy has given the opportunity for writers to benefit first-hand from authors such as Jeanette Winterson, Louise Doughty, Blake Morrison, Helen Dunmore, Margaret Atwood, Miriam Toews, Kathryn Heyman, James Bradley, Patti Miller, Sebastian Barry and Hanif Kureishi.
In 2010, Faber Academy found a natural home with Australia's award-winning publisher Allen & Unwin, and courses are offered in Sydney and Melbourne.
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'Congratulations to Georgie Donaghey for her hard work and enthusiasm in setting up a site that has been sorely needed to promote current Australian children's writing. Not just for the established, but for up and coming, Creative Kids Tales showcases talent and provides information essential for anyone in the industry.' - 
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'If there's anything emerging authors struggle with (beyond the dreaded writer's block), it's receiving recognition or even acknowledgment of their work – battling for a slice of that incredibly elusive publishing pie. Georgie Donaghey has created a priceless promotional and networking station that allows new authors to not only share their work, but gain the courage and nous to take their work to a whole new level. Creative Kids Tales is a valuable addition to Australia's burgeoning children's book market.' - 
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Writing can be a lonely profession. By necessity, you need to work alone much of the time. But it is wonderful to have a website which eases that by connecting creators with each other and with a wealth of information and resources.
'Thanks for being such a strong advocate for children’s literature, the power of stories, and reading.
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'Wow! Creative Kids Tales is a fantastic resource for writers, no matter what stage of their writing journey they are at. Congratulations, Georgie, on your attractive, easy-to-navigate website, your generosity to your fellow writers and your constantly evolving ideas. Thanks on behalf of all of us.' - 
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'Buckets of thanks to Georgie for creating Creative Kids Tales. There’s a wealth of wonderful information and resources for everyone interested in creating books for kids – and a warm sense of community.'
'Creative Kids Tales is a unique and valuable online resource for new and established authors. The site provides a wealth of information and insight into the children's writing world.' 'Thanks for all your support, Georgie, and keep up the good work.' - 
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Creative Kids Tales offers a brilliant platform for established and emerging creators to keep in touch and learn from each other. That is a great thing for this most isolated of all professions (apart from On-site Antarctic Penguin Imitators). - 
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'CKT is a great resource for both established and emerging authors. I like the way you're always coming up with new and exciting initiatives at your site. And I love reading the fascinating journeys and achievements of the writers you profile here.' - 
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'I stumbled on to Creative Kids Tales by accident. I thought it was kid's tails. I'd been doing some research about goats and how their tails were actually a fifth leg, a very long time ago. Or did I just dream that? In any case, I was bitterly disappointed at first to find not tails, but tales. However, while I was at the site I had a wander around, and soon discovered that it was even better than a goat's site - no kidding! This is a brilliant haven for writers, new and not so new; a place to showcase their work and to learn from others.' Well done, Georgie. You've done a fantastic job. - 
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