THERE is a hugely competitive world of children’s books – best-selling authors like Michael Murpurgo, Jackie Donaldson or Jacqueline Wilson sell millions of books, and authors and broadcasters like Michael Rosen are a huge box office draw. But getting a foot on the ladder of top children’s writers is a struggle.

Publisher and writer Tim Saunders came up with one way to help budding authors three years ago, when he launched the Paul Cave Prize for Children’s Literature and the opening date for submissions is 30th November.

Writing for children is not as easy as you might think, especially if you’re illustrating the stories too. “The world of children’s books is extremely competitive and a very difficult market to break into,” says Tim. “This prize gives unknown authors a chance to get their work in front of a wider audience and to receive valuable feedback.”

Winners receive feedback, cash prizes and copies of the book featuring their work. Established in 2023 by Tim Saunders Publications, the prize is an offshoot of the Paul Cave Prize for Literature, and showcases stories for youngsters (from the age of five to 12).

Children’s books published by Paul Cave included Olly Otter and Wizard Wubble. Tim says: “Paul knew all too well how difficult it was for authors to break into the highly competitive world of children’s literature, which has provided the impetus for establishing this important prize.”

Budding authors are invited to submit their stories and poetry to The Paul Cave Prize for Children’s Literature 2027. For more information visit tsaunderspubs.weebly.com