Tassy Walden Awards seeks submissions

WESTBROOK — Shoreline Arts Alliance is presenting the 20th annual New Voices in Children’s Literature: Tassy Walden Awards competition. This contest affords unpublished Connecticut authors and illustrators of children’s books the opportunity to have manuscripts and portfolios reviewed by literary agents and possibly by editors and art directors at some of the major publishing houses for children’s literature.

The New Voices in Children’s Literature: Tassy Walden Awards is a Connecticut statewide, juried competition open to children’s literature writers and illustrators who are not published or under contract for publication. Categories are: Picture Book, text only; Illustrated Picture Book, author and illustrator must be same person; Children’s Book Illustrator Portfolio; Middle Grade Novel and Young Adult/Teen Novel. All submitted works that meet the contest guidelines will be sent to literary agents for the first tier of judging. Works deemed outstanding will then be sent on to publishers and editors at major publishing houses for children’s literature. All submissions for this year’s contest must be postmarked by Feb. 4. Call for entry may be downloaded at www.shorelinearts.org.

Shoreline Arts Alliance is also holding a free workshop in preparation for this year’s contest, from 6:308 p.m. on Nov. 19. Workshops are facilitated by founding members of the awards committee and by winners and finalists of the New Voices in Children’s Literature competition, many of whom are now published or under contract for publication. The facilitators will review the submission guidelines and the current industry standards and provide insight and answer questions related to getting your work “out there” to literary agents and publishers. Reservations are requested to ensure adequate number of handouts and entry forms and can be made via email to tassy@shorelinearts.org or by phone at 2034533890. The workshop will be held in the Nathanael B Greene Community Center in Guilford.

For 2020 entry forms and guidelines or for additional information or questions on preparing manuscripts and portfolios for submission, visit www.ShorelineArts.org or contact the office at 2034533890