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| A display for my sales table for Secret in the Mist: an Abi Wunder Mystery, which was finally sent to the formatting company, 100 Covers, and will soon be published! |
By Linda Wilson @LinWilsonauthor
After several of my children’s books placed in contests, an experienced writer friend told me, “Now you can say you’re a multi-award-winning children’s author.” It’s true. Awards have stacked up for my four picture books and one chapter book. That’s because I applied for them. Happily, certificates and front-cover stickers are a testament that your books stand out.
There are fees, some quite hefty. To me, the cost is worth it. Most of my sales are made at arts and crafts festivals and fairs. Occasionally, I’ll tell customers that the book in their hand has won an award. But mostly, they can see the stickers prominently placed on the book covers, and I don’t have to say a word. Also, I display certificates, ribbons, and other tokens received.
There are many more contests to explore than the list compiled in this article. Simply google “Book contests for children’s authors.” But for starters, these listed organizations offer a great service to children’s authors and for those with little ones in their life.
Organizations that offer many Opportunities
Book Excellence Awards: team@bookexcellenceawardsupport.com
- A long list of categories
- A Book Excellence Awards certificate
- A sticker for the book
Eric Hoffer Book Award for the Small, Academic and Independent Press: https://hofferaward.com
- An organization worth studying
- The US Review of Books supports this award by publishing the annual results
- Reasonably priced
- Registration form on website
Kirkus Review for Indie Authors: https://www.kirkusreviews.com
- Explore the Kirkus website. It is loaded with Kirkus’ choice of great books to read and information about the organization. Quoted here is part of what Kirkus offers Indie authors: Our indie reviews are written by qualified professionals, such as librarians, nationally published journalists, creative executives and more. While we do not guarantee positive reviews, unfavorable reviews can be taken as valuable feedback for improvements and ultimately do not have to be published on our site. With our most popular review option priced at $450, you can receive an affordable book review that could generously boost your writing career.
- Kirkus reviewed my first book, Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery. I learned from the feedback offered, and was gratified that the book received the distinction of being a “Kirkus Recommended Book.” I did not receive a certificate or sticker, so I had a sticker made at https://stickerapp.com, which is placed on the book.
Mom’s Choice Award: https://momschoiceawards.com
- Has a global presence in 70 countries
- In addition to children’s books, awards baby gates, kids’ meds, playpens, and more
- First fee is hefty, discounted for additional award requests
- Certificate and stickers are included
- Mom Knows Best newsletter
- Interview series
- And much more
National Federation of Press Women: https://www.nfpw.com
- To give you an idea of who NFPW is, here is information from the website: NFPW members are professional women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum: Reporters • Editors • Authors • Bloggers • Designers • Artists • Photographers • Publicists • Freelancers • Students • Active professionals • Retired professionals.
- Writers work for: print magazines, newspapers and newsletters • Online publications • Government officials • Banks • Public relations agencies • Higher education • School districts • Nonprofit agencies • Ourselves as independent contractors.
- 2026 Communications contest is now open
- Two categories for entrance are the Professional Contest and the High School Contest
- Enter the contest in states that have an affiliate. If there is no affiliate, enter at-large.
- Work must be published or broadcast from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
- Certificates and stickers
- The work of first-place winners in your state automatically are sent to compete nationwide. National first-place winners are honored at the annual conference. A stipend is available for first, first-place national winners.
- My picture book A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift, illustrated by Nancy Batra, won first prize in the NM Press Women 2022 Communications Contest, and went on to win first prize nationally in Children’s Book: Fiction. My book proudly displays the organization’s Winner’s sticker. Also, to show the book won first prize, I had a blue-ribbon sticker with “1st” made at https://stickerapp.com.
- From the website: NIEA is an annual awards program that honors self-published authors and small to mid-sized independent publishers. It aims to promote high-quality books and provide recognition to authors who put significant effort into their work. The awards are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including those from small presses and self-published authors. Study the website for more information.
Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators, SCBWI, offers many award and grant opportunities, simply found on Google: https://www.scbwi.org. Also, check your state for organizations that offer contests.
Story Monsters: https://storymonsters.com
- Story Monsters Ink magazine
- Book publishing and marketing departments
- Free consultations
- Story Monsters does not impose a limit on year of publication
- Certificates, stickers, and other tokens are available
- Three SM contests:
Purple Dragonfly Book Award: Enter your book by the earlybird deadline: March 1, 2026; final deadline May 2, 2026
Royal Dragonfly Book Award: Earlybird deadline August 1, 2026; final deadline October 3, 2026
Story Monsters Approved Contest: Final deadline February 1. 2026
The Book Fest: https://www.thebookfest.com
- The Book Fest Book Awards for Spring 2026 will open this winter
- Awards are offered for legacy books
Winning awards can do more for you than displaying certificates and stickers. You can see how your books stack up to other children’s authors’ books. A win offers you a personal reward for the effort you’ve made in creating your books. A win is an accomplishment above and beyond the writing of your books. Knowledgeable judges have seen something in your books that has merited an award. Winning book awards is something to be proud of.
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| My latest book, Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, illustrated by 1000 Storybooks and translated by Adriana Botero placed as a Finalist in the NM Writers organization. This is the display I made for my sales table. |
Linda's two new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Visit Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L.
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