We are delighted to reveal the final manuscripts in contention for the Bath Children’s Novel Award 2016. Our aim is to spotlight the best unsigned novelists across the globe and this is a shortlist of five breathtakingly original books by writers based in Spain, the UK and USA.
The novels were chosen by a panel of junior judges (aged 7-17 years) from a longlist of 26. Their settings include: a golden adventure in wintry C19th Madrid; a summer of wonder in a Virginian woods; a ghostly detective noir set in a rain-soaked metropolis; the restoration of a treasure garden in a hidden Devon cove and a romantic thriller set in the afterlife.
The winner of The Bath Children’s Novel Award 2016 as judged by Julia Churchill of AM Heath will receive £2,000 with the runner up awarded editorial services to the value of £500 by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.
As all our judges read “blind” we’ll be keeping the shortlistees’ identities under wraps until the winner is announced on January 26th, but in the meantime, many congratulations to the writers of these five standout titles:
COGS OF CASTILE (Middle grade / adventure)
ECHO OF LIGHT (Young adult / diverse with magic realism)
POTKIN AND STUBBS (DECEASED) (Middle grade / ghost detective noir)
THE MAGPIE GARDEN (Middle grade / contemporary realistic)
THE WAITING ROOM (Young adult / supernatural romantic thriller)
Read the Bath Children’s Novel Award 2016 Longlist Announcement here
The Bath Novel Award 2017 invites entries from novelists writing for adults or young adults. This year’s judge is Laura Williams of PFD with a first prize of £2,000, a £500 shortlist award plus literary agent introductions. Closing date: 24th April 2017, full entry details here
The Bath Novel Award & Bath Children’s Novel Award are sponsored by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy