Undiscovered Voices is delighted that the amazing Candy Gourlay agreed to be our honorary chair for UV2020. She recorded this heartfelt and uplifting video to celebrate the success of this year’s finalists.
Thank you so much Candy for taking the time to make such a wonderful tribute.
We’re excited as this year’s finalists take the next step in their writing careers. We’ll be posting updates as we hear from them. For now, we want to congratulate them once again.
Annaliese Avery – The Invention of Night
Yvonne Banham – Tulip Finola Barnacle
Sharon Boyle – Pupil K
Anna Brooke – Sean & The Franken-Bogey
Dr Adam Connors – The Genius Machine
Clare Harlow – The Shape Of A Girl
Urara Hiroeh – The Air We Cannot Breathe
Helen MacKenzie – Hagstone
Michael Mann – Ghostcloud
Angela Murray – The Sea Lord’s Curse
Laura Warminger – The Great Prime Minister Swap
Harriet Worrell – The Good Child Serum
You can learn all about our finalists here: http://www.undiscoveredvoices.com/?page_id=1106
Huge congratulations to the twelve incredibly talented writers selected for UV2020 from nearly 250 submissions from SCBWI members in the British Isles and Europe.
The Undiscovered Voices team endeavours to create an anthology that showcases the variety of writing available from SCBWI members in the British Isles and the Europe. The goal of the anthology is not only to help the selected authors to find agents and editors, but also to promote the quality of work abounding in SCBWI in Europe.
The stories were considered anonymously and selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts:
Helen Boyle, Literary and Illustration Agent at Pickled Ink
Annalie Grainger, Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books
Stephanie King, Commissioning Fiction Editor at Usborne Publishing
Polly Nolan, Literary Agent at Greenhouse Literary Agency
Alice Sutherland-Hawes, Children’s Agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency
Clare Wallace, Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency
We are thrilled to share the longlist of writers who will be considered for the Undiscovered Voices 2020 anthology. We also are pleased to announce that Undiscovered Voices alumni, dedicated SCBWI volunteer and award-winning author Candy Gourlay will serve as the honorary chair for Undiscovered Voices 2020.
UV2020 Longlist
These talented writers were selected from nearly 250 submissions from SCBWI members in the British Isles and Europe.
Angela Murray
Abi Moore
Dr Adam Connors
Aliss Langridge
Anna Brooke
Annaliese Avery
Annie Edge
Attiya Khan
Becky Danks
Cara Lovelock
Carry de la Harpe
Clare Harlow
Harriet Worrell
Helen MacKenzie
Jane Dudeney
Jenny Ireland
Jon Tilley
Laura Warminger
Lucy Marsden
Lucy O’Hair
Michael Mann
Sarah Fulton
Sharon Boyle
Stuart White
Urara Hiroeh
Yvonne Banham
Zoe Jane Cookson
The twelve novel extracts that will be featured in the Undiscovered Voices 2020 anthology will be announced in mid-January.
The Undiscovered Voices team endeavours to create an anthology that showcases the variety of writing available from SCBWI members in the British Isles and the Europe. The goal of the anthology is not only to help the selected authors to find agents and editors, but also to promote the quality of work abounding in SCBWI in Europe.
The stories were considered anonymously and selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts:
Helen Boyle, Literary and Illustration Agent at Pickled Ink
Annalie Grainger, Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books
Stephanie King, Commissioning Fiction Editor at Usborne Publishing
Polly Nolan, Literary Agent at Greenhouse Literary Agency
Alice Sutherland-Hawes, Children’s Agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency
Clare Wallace, Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency
More about Candy Gourlay
Candy Gourlay was born in the Philippines, grew up under a dictatorship and met her husband during a revolution. Her novel Bone Talk was recently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Prize – it is set in the moment when headhunting tribes in the Philippines come face to face with American invaders. Her picture book, Is It a Mermaid, illustrated by Francesca Chessa, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Her books have been shortlisted for the Branford Boase, Waterstones, Blue Peter and Guardian Children’s Book Prize. Both her novels Shine and Tall Story have won SCBWI’s Crystal Kite Award. Her fingerprints are all over SCBWI’s online presence, from its jurassic list-serve days to its current experiments in livestreaming events. She is currently devising events and opportunities for published members as co-organiser of SCBWI’s Pulse strand. She lives in London with her family.
Thanks to Candy for championing the anthology and congratulations to the talented longlisted writers!
Meet this year’s stellar judging panel and discover their top tips for any writer thinking of entering this year’s Undiscovered Voices!
Our amazing judging panel are:
Helen Boyle, Literary and Illustration Agent at Pickled Ink
Aimée Felone, Co-founder of Knights Of
Annalie Grainger, Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books
Stephanie King, Commissioning Fiction Editor at Usborne Publishing
Polly Nolan, Literary Agent at Greenhouse Literary Agency
Alice Sutherland-Hawes, Children’s Agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency
Clare Wallace, Literary Agent at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency
We are open for submissions from 1st June 2019 until 15th July 2019. During this period there will be a link on this website to complete the submission process.
After the 15th July, you will no longer be able to enter the contest.
In our first guest blog by past finalists, Sarah Merrett (UV2018), whose extract was called The Darlington Miracles, talks about how being short-listed opened doors for her and shares tips to get your extract in shape before you’re ready to submit.
Preparing your UV submission: things to ask yourself
So, you’re thinking of entering Undiscovered Voices 2020. Should you go for it? Most definitely. It was the best decision I ever made for my writing career. Becoming a winning finalist in 2018 was the stuff of dreams. It really opened doors for me. I had agents asking to see my book without even sending out a query. Lots of agents. I was lucky enough to be offered representation from my dream agency before the UV launch party had even started. I still pinch myself sometimes.
I hope that’s tempted you into giving this a go. After all, you have nothing to lose. So what now? How do you prepare your submission to make it the best it can possibly be? Here are a few questions you might like to ask yourself:
Your first line
Is your first line attention grabbing enough? Does it entice your reader by posing a question such as why, what or how?
Analyse the opening lines of some successful children’s books. Why are they strong? How do they lure you in?
Your opening scene
Could your opening scene be improved by adding more drama, excitement or mystery?
Have you shown the unique and interesting aspect of your main character?
What’s at stake for the main character if they don’t achieve their goal?
Have you portrayed strong emotions?
Your first chapter
By the end of chapter one, what has happened to lure your reader into the next chapter?
Have you ended with a strong enough hook or cliffhanger?
Your extract
Have enough story events happened in your extract?
Are things moving along quickly enough?
Where have you ended your extract? Is this stopping point the best place in order to leave your reader wanting more?
Your pitch
What makes your story different to others in the same genre?
You don’t need to summarise the entire plot of your book. Give a sense of the story and its genre, what’s special about it, and give an intriguing hook
And finally
Edit, edit, and edit again
Put your story away for as long as you can bear, then read it with fresh eyes. Weak areas should become much clearer after a break
Proofread, and if possible, get someone else to proofread too
Submit and give yourself a well-earned treat
Try not to stew over the outcome. Why not start your next story? It’s a great way to set aside your emotions for your competition entry
SCBWI British Isles is proud to announce the promising, unpublished writers and illustrators who have been selected from a record number of submissions to be included in Undiscovered Voices 2018.
SCBWI congratulates the following authors and illustrators whose work will be featured in the anthology:
The stories and illustrations were submitted anonymously and selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts:
UV 2018’s Judges:
Chrissie Boehm, Artful Doodlers
Claire Cartey, Holroyde Cartey
Erzsi Deak, Hen & Ink Literary Studio
Lauren Fortune, Scholastic
Clelia Gore, Martin Literary Management
Andrea Kearney, Bloomsbury Publishing
Sarah Leonard, Orchard Books
Joanna Moult, Skylark Literary Agency
Polly Nolan, The Greenhouse Literary Agency
Gillie Russell, Aitken Alexander Associates
Hannah Sheppard, DHH Literary Agency
Kirsty Stansfield, Nosy Crow
Will Steele, Usborne Books
Nghiem Ta, Walker Books
Because the anthology is also designed to be a learning tool for up-and-coming children’s writers and artists, quotes from the judges – discussing the merits of each piece – are included at the end of each illustration and extract.
Working Partners Ltd, a London-based company that creates series fiction for children and teens, provided the financial support that made this anthology possible.
Congratulations to this year’s Undiscovered Voices writers and illustrators!
We are pleased to announce the longlist of writers and illustrators who will be considered for the Undiscovered Voices 2018 anthology. These talented writers and illustrators were selected from a record-breaking number of submissions from SCBWI members in Europe.
Alice Stallard
Andrea Fautley
Annette Edge
Annie Walmsley
Ashley Taylor
Becky Hamilton
Catherine Lindow
Charlotte Reid
Claire Rollinson
Dale Hannah
Daniel Greaves
David Hall
Deborah Sheehy
Elizabeth Joseph-Brahy
Emily Jones
Emma Mason
Esther Harvey
Georgina Kirk
Glen Deakin
Hannah Mosley
Hazel Murrell
Helen Simmons
Imogen Foxell
Jacob Turner
James Crosland-Mills
Janet Catherine Gibson Pickering
Jennifer Hicks
Jessica Chuan Ping Lai
Joe Callanan
Julia Tuffs
Kate Read
Kathryn Kettle
Katie Hayoz
Laure Allain
Lily Grigorova
Lorraine Cooke
Louisa Glancy
Matthew Olson-Roy
Mireille Lachausse
Monika Baum
Morgan Jackson
Natasha Ellis
Nicola Penfold
Peta Freestone
Rachel Lovatt
Sally Walker
Sandy Horsley
Sarah Merrett
Serena Patel
Stephen Burgess
Susan Harris
Suzanne Dore
Tera Pruitt
Wendy Storer
Zoe Saunders
The shortlist of writers and illustrators to be featured in the Undiscovered Voices 2018 anthology will be selected from the list above and announced in early January.
As ever, the quality of submissions was extremely high and the judges had a very difficult time deciding on a longlist.
The Undiscovered Voices team endeavours to create an anthology that showcases the variety of writing and illustration available from SCBWI members in the British Isles and the European Union. The goal of the anthology is not only to help the selected authors and illustrators to find agents and editors, but also to promote the quality of work abounding in SCBWI in Europe.
The stories and illustrations were submitted anonymously and selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts:
Chrissie Boehm, Artful Doodlers
Claire Cartey, Holroyde Cartey
Lauren Fortune, Scholastic
Andrea Kearny, Bloomsbury Publishing
Sarah Leonard, Orchard Books
Joanna Moult, Skylark Literary Agency
Polly Nolan, The Greenhouse Literary Agency
Gillie Russell, Aitken Alexander Associates
Hannah Sheppard, DHH Literary Agency
Kirsty Stansfield, Nosy Crow
Will Steele, Osborne Books
Nghiem Ta, Walker Books
Congratulations to the talented Undiscovered Voices longlisted writers and illustrators!
All the best,
The Undiscovered Voices Team
Rosie Best, Catherine Coe, Jenny Glencross, Sara Grant, Simon James Green, Patrick Miller, Anne-Marie Perks, Loretta Schauer, Benjamin Scott and Tioka Tokedira
SCBWI and sponsors Working Partners are delighted to announce that submissions for the sixth Undiscovered Voices competition are now open. Undiscovered Voices helps fresh, new voices in children’s literature find agents and publishers.
The Undiscovered Voices anthology will include twelve fiction extracts – from early readers up to young adult novels – and twelve black-and-white illustrations. The anthology will be published in February 2018 and sent free of charge to editors, art directors and agents whose focus is children’s literature. The book is produced with the financial support of Working Partners Ltd, a London-based company that creates series fiction.
Submissions will be accepted between 1st July and 15th August 2017 via an online submissions process. There is no submission fee, but only unagented and unpublished members of SCBWI living in the UK and Europe (writing in the English language) are eligible.
From the five previous anthologies, Undiscovered Voices featured authors and illustrators have received publishing contracts for more than 200 books. The authors have been nominated for and won an amazing array of literary prizes: including the Carnegie Medal, Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, Branford Boase Award, Blue Peter Award, the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and over 30 regional awards.
The following judges will select the extracts and illustrations to be included in the anthology:
As we get closer to the opening of UV submissions, we’re posting tips to make sure your submission stands the best chance of making it into the anthology.
Eight Ways to Make Sure Your Submission Hits the Mark
Shine by Candy Gourlay
Award-winning author and one of the first UV finalists Candy Gourlay has kindly given us eight incredible and direct tips to make sure your submission is ready to wow our judges:
Tip 1: Intrigue starts with your first chapter. No explanations. Make your reader desperate to find out what happens next.
Tip 2: Voice. Everyone talks about looking for a voice. Voice only happens when your characters have come alive. How do you do that? Inhabit your character and build the plot from within.
Tip 3. Setting is context AND character, not information. Stop describing and start characterising. If your setting is alive, your reader will read on.
Tip 4. Cause and effect. If cause and effect is not happening then your chapter is static and your reader has probably died of boredom.
Tip 5. Don’t be anxious to make sure that your reader understands your story in the first three chapters. First chapters intrigue and lead your reader on. They are not there to explain. Trust the judges – they are reading a LOT of first chapters and I’ll bet a lot of them are explaining rather than exciting.
Tip 6. Select the eggs you’re going to offer in the basket. YOU DON’T HAVE TO PUT EVERYTHING INTO THE FIRST CHAPTER. You are more likely to engage a reader with a choice selection.
Tip 7. Make sure you identify WHO you’re writing for and that your sample is appropriate to your target readership. Oh, and here’s a guess … most people submitting will probably be writing YA. Ask yourself, is this the one that will help me stand out in the herd?
When you are editing down your chapter samples, don’t cut for word number, cut for MEANING and DRAMA.
Tip 8. When you are editing down your chapter samples, don’t cut for word number, cut for MEANING and DRAMA. I know so many people who edit down without realising that they are losing the deliciousness of their writing. This means you will have to be wise and practical about choosing what you winnow out of your text.
Check back soon for more top writing tips before you submit.
Candy Gourley was a finalist in UV2008. She has been a journalist, press photographer, web designer, short film maker, radio presenter (well, once) and fake American accent voice talent. She once helped overthrow a dictator (with several million other people). She has now forsworn revolutionary activity to become a children’s author. She is the award-winning author of Tall Story and Shine. www.candygourlay.com
In the third of a series of guest blog by past finalists, Jane Hardstaff, talks about the twisty-turny route to becoming a published author, and almost not entering Undiscovered Voices 2012!
When I was sixteen years old, I had a weekend job as a waitress in a hotel in the small market town where we lived. The hotel restaurant was the place you ate if you were old-school posh. It had a veneer of class (avocado vinaigrette, Dover sole and grouse in season), but underneath it was kind-of seedy with many unpleasant tasks for a waitress. It was my job to pick the flies out of the vinaigrette with a teaspoon. To descend to the creepy cold store, always worried I’d lock myself in. To clean up after the very hairy hotel dog. Every Friday and Saturday night, I’d arrive home stinking of grease and cigar smoke and I guess you could say this was a pretty uninspiring job. I wasn’t being mentored on some amazing internship. I was hiding from the sleazeball barman and developing an addiction to prawn cocktail.
At sixteen years old I had no particular ambition to be a writer. All I knew was I didn’t want to be a waitress. Fast forward a couple of decades. I’d travelled a twisty-turny route through several jobs, discovering along the way that the one thing that made me happy (and also weirdly unhappy) was writing.
If you are wondering (as I did) whether to enter Undiscovered Voices, then you probably should.
What has any of this got to do with Undiscovered Voices? I guess what I want to say is, it can take a long time to find your voice. And it can take just as long to pluck up the courage to get it out there. If you are wondering (as I did) whether to enter Undiscovered Voices, then you probably should. You are probably your own worst critic. Enter, because you have nothing to lose. And if you’re not longlisted, keep going. Write a better book. Write the book only you can write.
It may take half a lifetime to get there, but it will be worth it.
The Executioner’s Daughter by Jane Hardstaff
Jane Hardstaff (UV 2012) is the author of The Executioner’s Daughter and River Daughter (published by Egmont UK and Lerner Books USA). Longlisted for the Branford Boase, winner of the Salisbury Schools Book Award and selected for USBBY Outstanding International Books List 2017.