We are currently accepting submissions for the following categories ONLY:

  • Picture books from author-illustrators ONLY
  • Graphic novels from author-illustrators ONLY
  • Submissions from writers and illustrators from marginalised backgrounds and communities (NB: We welcome submissions about any subject matter and in any genre intended for young readers.)

Please note that currently we are not accepting submissions from unagented writers outside of these categories. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Submissions should be from citizens or residents of Australia and/or New Zealand. We do not accept submissions from outside Australia, New Zealand or Oceania unless via an agent, or the author has citizenship or residency within the region. 
  • We can only consider one manuscript per person at a time. 
  • For writers and illustrators from marginalised backgrounds and communities: We welcome submissions about any subject matter and in any genre intended for young readers.
  • We are not considering play scripts, screenplays, activity or poster books, individual short stories, technical manuals, cookbooks, how-to guides, travel guides or educational textbooks for the children's and YA lists. 
  • Due to the large volume of submissions, we are unable to provide individual editorial advice.
  • If you do not meet these guidelines, your manuscript will not be considered.

A note on word lengths:

  • Junior fiction manuscripts, for readers aged approximately 4–8 years, should be between 2000 and 20,000 words; 
  • middle-grade manuscripts, for readers aged approximately 8–12, should be between 20,000 and 50,000 words; 
  • and young adult manuscripts, for readers aged approximately 12+, should be between 40,000 and 80,000 words. 
  • There is no word count specification for graphic novels.


 Note: The Ampersand Prize for debut children's and YA manuscripts runs every two years, and will next run in July 2024. More information can be found here.

Please note we are not able to follow up on unsuccessful submissions.

Please note we are not able to follow up on unsuccessful submissions.

Welcome to the Ampersand Prize entry portal. Before you begin, please ensure you are familiar with the full entry guidelines, which can be found here. To submit your entry, you will need the following:

  • A full manuscript
  • A one-page synopsis
  • A 100-word explanation of why you wrote the book (used only for context within the judging committee).

Each writer may submit one completed manuscript, of either middle-grade or young adult fiction (all genres are welcome, including graphic novels). At this time we are not accepting short-story collections, non-fiction, or chapter books for junior fiction readers. You may submit the same manuscript two times only in different years, so long as you are able to articulate what has changed between submissions; after two times, the project cannot be submitted again. The prize is open to writers who have not had a young adult, middle grade, or graphic novel published with a trade publisher. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday 31 July, 2024.

You will receive an automatic response to confirm we have received your entry. We aim to notify all writers of the outcome of their submission, with the shortlist to be announced in October.

If you have any questions about the Ampersand Prize, you can email us at ampersand@hardiegrant.com.au and we will respond as soon as we can. Please note submissions will not be accepted via this email address.

Note that max single file upload size is 400mb, and a default maximum total submission size of 800mb.

Hardie Grant Publishing