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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Apr 11

BOOK NEWS. @jax-king.bsky.social and @samanthaleduc.bsky.social teamed up for our Best Illustrated Picture Book 2023 competition. Now their shortlisted book is published! Wow! 🥳 Couldn’t be more proud of our author/illustrator pair. ❤️

Jax King @jax-king.bsky.social · Apr 10

✨HE’S OUT!✨Stinky Cyril is on the loose! 😍 @tinytreebooks.bsky.social @samanthaleduc.bsky.social #Kidlit #NewPB #Bears #Funny #Authorly @waterstones.bsky.social @winstonesidmouth.bsky.social 🥳🐻❤️

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Apr 7

AGENT NEWS. Not one but two offers of representation for our fabulous Best Novel Opening 2024 shortlistee @mcalvani.bsky.social . Wow! Mayra has now signed with the equally fabulous @keslupo.bsky.social of @maasslitagency.bsky.social . What a perfect match! Huge congrats, Mayra.

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Mar 28

BOOK NEWS. This story was shortlisted in Searchlight’s Best Picture Book Text 2022 competition - and now it’s a published book! So happy for you @nadineholland.bsky.social . 👏👏👏

Tiny Tree Books 📕 @tinytreebooks.bsky.social · Mar 27

Happy #PublicationDay, @nadineholland.bsky.social! 📖✨

Mina the Mighty by Nadine Holland and Wenny Stefanie is out now: amzn.to/3ZB8mmI
#kidlit

Author Nadine Holland with copies of Mina the Mighty

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Mar 27

Our super-talented listee Amanda Addison has been shortlisted for The New Angle Prize 2025 with her YA novel Looking for Lucie. We are so proud of her. ❤️

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Mar 19

We have decided to take a short break in 2025 to give our entrants time to work on amazing new stories. Our next competition will be opening in 2026. Best of luck with your writing and see you all soon!

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Mar 12

Our Winners’ Gallery for Best Novel Opening and Best Picture Book Text 2024 is now live! See who won, read short extracts of the stories… Congratulations to all! 👏👏👏

www.searchlightawards.co.uk/winners-gall...

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Mar 11

The moment we sent out our Agent/Publisher Pitch Book of Winning Stories @gavin-crippin.bsky.social started getting interest. ‘Such a great voice!’ was the general opinion. Things moved at lightning speed and we’re delighted to say that Gavin has now accepted representation. Fantastic news! 🥳

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Mar 10

BOOK NEWS - We’re seeing Olivia Wakeford’s book EVERYWHERE! 🥳 Back in 2021 My Dog was one of our competition entries and our readers fell in love with it. ❤️Since then Olivia’s joined our reading team and she’s brilliant at selecting stories for the longlist, too. Massive congrats, Olivia.

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 17

AGENT NEWS! Huge congratulations to the winner of Searchlight’s Best Picture Book Text 2024 @tomwriting.bsky.social . ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tom Lancaster @tomwriting.bsky.social · Feb 17

I’m delighted to share that I’m now represented by Georgia Tournay-Godfrey at
The Bright Agency! 🥳🎉🍾

I’m SO excited to join the Bright family and can’t wait to start working with Georgia.

#kidlit #picturebooks

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Reposted by Searchlight Writing for Children Awards

Mayra Calvani @mcalvani.bsky.social · Feb 12

So excited that my MG gothic horror 'Violeta's Adventures in Doll-Land' made the shortlist!

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

We are thrilled to announce the results of Best Novel Opening 2024. Congratulations to our final 10! ⭐️🥳

A huge thank you to all our entrants for being brave and allowing us to read your work. It has been a privilege and a pleasure. ❤️

www.searchlightawards.co.uk/best-novel-o...

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Reposted by Searchlight Writing for Children Awards

Jane Mooney @janemooney.bsky.social · Feb 9

My first post on BlueSky and what fantastic news I have to share! I've been awarded 2nd Place in the Searchlight Children's Picture Book Text 2024 awards. Thank you to @writingawards.bsky.social , to all the readers and to Lorna Hemingway for choosing Cyril.

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Reposted by Searchlight Writing for Children Awards

Tom Lancaster @tomwriting.bsky.social · Feb 7

I’m thrilled to win @writingawards.bsky.social’s Best Picture Book Text 2024!

Huge thanks to Kim Donovan for organising, Lorna Hemingway for judging, and all the amazing readers for this competition. Congratulations to all the other entrants for putting their fantastic stories out there! 🙌🏻

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Reposted by Searchlight Writing for Children Awards

Gavin Crippin @gavin-crippin.bsky.social · Feb 7

Genuinely made up with this. Congratulations to all the other entrants, thanks to the readers, judges and Kim and the team for organising.

What a day!

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

Huge congratulations to the winner of Best Novel Opening 2024 - @gavin-crippin.bsky.social . ⭐️🥳🍾 Our literary agent judge Rachel Petty of The Blair Partnership admired Gavin’s ‘sparkly dialogue and authentic-feeling voice’. Our readers loved the voice, too!

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

Tom Lancaster has been crowned the winner of Best Picture Book Text 2024. Our judge Lorna Hemingway of Bell Lomax Moreton said Bamboo Hullabaloo was ‘a joy to read aloud due to its excellent rhyme and fast paced nature’. Many congratulations, Tom! 🥳⭐️🍾

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

Huge congratulations to the winner of Best Novel Opening 2024 - @gavin-crippin.bsky.social . ⭐️🥳🍾 Our literary agent judge Rachel Petty of The Blair Partnership admired Gavin’s ‘sparkly dialogue and authentic-feeling voice’. Our readers loved the voice, too!

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Reposted by Searchlight Writing for Children Awards

Lu Hersey @luwrites.bsky.social · Feb 7

Congratulations to all the fabulous writers who entered this competition- the standard was so high! And massive congrats to Gavin! 💐

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

We are thrilled to announce the results of Best Novel Opening 2024. Congratulations to our final 10! ⭐️🥳

A huge thank you to all our entrants for being brave and allowing us to read your work. It has been a privilege and a pleasure. ❤️

www.searchlightawards.co.uk/best-novel-o...

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

Announcing the long-awaited results of Best Picture Book Text 2024. Huge congratulations to our final 10!

Thank you to all the writers who entered this competition. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to read your stories.

www.searchlightawards.co.uk/best-childre...

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 7

We are thrilled to announce the results of Best Novel Opening 2024. Congratulations to our final 10! ⭐️🥳

A huge thank you to all our entrants for being brave and allowing us to read your work. It has been a privilege and a pleasure. ❤️

www.searchlightawards.co.uk/best-novel-o...

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Feb 4

Longlistees, we will be emailing you the results of Best Novel Opening and Best Picture Book Text 2024 tomorrow - ahead of the official announcement on Friday.

You are all superstars and, whether you are shortlisted or not, we believe in your stories. Best of luck!

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Jan 22

Thrilled for our listee @orsorrel.bsky.social ! What fantastic news! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dr Joanna Nadin @joannanadin.bsky.social · Jan 22

Big up to the four @bathspauni.bsky.social MA grads on the Branford Boase longlist, especially my UoB PhD student Ash Bond and @orsorrel.bsky.social whose hilarious Apocalypse Cow will always hold a very special place in my heart.

A series of children’s book covers entitled Branford Boase Award Longlist 2025

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Jan 18

Can’t wait for the exciting news!

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Jan 16

This is so exciting! Huge congratulations! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Jan 8

In 2023 we ran an illustrated picture book competition and encouraged writers and illustrators to team up for it. Jax King and @samanthaleduc.bsky.social were one of our amazing teams.

This is their shortlisted book!
Incredibly proud. ❤️

Tiny Tree Books 📕 @tinytreebooks.bsky.social · Jan 8

🎉 COVER REVEAL 🎉

When Cyril accidentally sits in something brown and smelly, he searches for a way to clean his messy fur. Will Cyril get out of this mess? 🌳✨

Stinky Cyril by Jax King & Samantha LeDuc is out April 10th. Pre-order 👉 https://amzn.to/402A0It

Cover of Stinky Cyril on a burnt orange background.

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Dec 18

Couldn’t be happier! The winner of our Best Chapter Book 2024 competition - Sophie Clarke with Gracie, Dave and The God of Dogs - has accepted representation from Lucy Irvine of PFD. Such brilliant news! 🥳

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Searchlight Writing for Children Awards @writingawards.bsky.social · Dec 15

@luwrites.bsky.social reads for Searchlight Awards and is absolutely brilliant. Her own writing career took off when she won the Mslexia competition back in 2012. She’s such an amazing writer. Can’t wait to read her new book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lu Hersey @luwrites.bsky.social · Dec 13

**Book news** Sea Spinners, my herstory prequel to Jason & the Argonauts, is out 15 December. If you'd like it in time for last minute Christmas presents, Amazon have it already... otherwise available via publisher & indie bookshops after Christmas.

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