From one writer to another: Sifting the Hachette Children’s Novel Awards

In January 2025, I received the incredible opportunity and honour to take part in the first round of sifting for the Hachette Children’s Novel Awards. I was blown away by the sheer amount of high quality submissions, and it was an effort just to decide how I would narrow them down! Be that as it may, I’m going to reveal everything I looked out for and enjoyed when reading submissions – from one writer to another. Who knows? Maybe it will help those of you who would like to apply for this award next time.

The best stories I read explored a range of themes from the most negative to the brightest positive. For example, some themes I saw included were humour, friendship and the importance of family, but also not feeling at home in your own home, mental health, grief, loneliness, and feeling out of place. Each was shown in a cautious, thoughtful and artful way, sensitive to the subject matter and the target audience of children. I adore stories that seem to be about one thing but are actually about something else entirely when you dig deeper. This is what makes children’s literature so timeless: it is multi-faceted, and as you grow older you can claw your way to the core of the story, instead of just dwindling on the surface.

This may be a personal preference but I loved the stories that were unique in concept, a little quirky and quite bold – stories with flair. Those reading through your submissions are most likely readers in their everyday lives looking for something new that changes what they know about form, style and structure – they are looking to be wowed. Experimenting with style and structure can go a long way, but make sure it’s done to fulfil a specific purpose in the story.

Fleshed out characters are the backbone of your story. Every reader is different, with some (including myself) being more invested in character, and some in plot – but in any case, good characters can make even the most lacklustre story interesting. During the sifting process, I was drawn to a wide variety of interesting characters, including: characters that showed the unacknowledged strength of children; young females who were not just characterised as simple and timid; kids being kids, making them relatable for the children and parents reading; animals, real and mythological; humorous villains, almost to the point of exaggeration (which children love); and casts of characters with discernible differences and a contrasting dynamic that allowed them to bounce off one another, giving every child a character to relate to.

It’s the 21st century. So, of course, times have changed, and they have changed for the better. I personally believe no story is complete without at least a touch of diversity and representation. Some of my favourite submissions explored disability, neurodivergence, multigenerational friendships, direct links to the North and much more. Diversity is one of the most important things in literature, most especially children’s. Kids need to see themselves reflected on the page. I have lived and breathed books from an extremely young age, and I can say with confidence that it is the children’s books that I saw myself in – that struck a chord with me – that are the stories I have carried with me after all these years, even into adult life.

Even with the best characters and concept in the world, no story is worth reading without good quality writing. Be confident in your ability to use creative description and also use writing techniques such as onomatopoeia, metaphor and simile, which are great features of a children’s story. Have fun with it! When all is said and done, writing is a craft, and you should exhaust every opportunity to show how well you can hone it.

You can also use the submission form itself to help the reader understand and fall in love with your work. The best submissions also have a strong synopsis (read more here about how to write a synopsis), and perhaps include a quote from the story in the submission form to pique interest (at least, this definitely worked on me!)And while we won’t reject your work because of small errors and mistakes, it’s important to make sure that your writing is polished, proofed and preened. If you want your story to shine in the way that it deserves to, then it is vital to ensure you tidy it up and make it look presentable. Often, I came across stories that had not been proofed as well as they should have been, and unfortunately it made the reading experience stilted, staggered and slow.

Of course, this award is, after all, for debut writers – in short, the judges aren’t looking for perfection! What they are looking for is promise; for stories that engage the reader, with prose that has the potential to go far. Don’t overthink it!

As an aspiring editor/agent, and an avid reader and writer myself, it was an honour to take part in this sifting task. Good luck to everyone who enters for this amazing award!

The Hachette Children’s Novel Award 2026 is open for entries until 12 January 2026. Two debut writers of middle-grade and early teen fiction will win £3000 and a programme of mentoring. Find out more here.