The Young Author Competition, sponsored by Wood Dragon Books, is again being offered to young students between the ages of 15 to 18 years of age. This annual competition started in 2020 and continues to look for successful student authors to have their book published.
The competition publishes three books out of the competition entries. The deadline for entry is July 1st so there’s not too much time left to get your thoughts together and write them down. The book does not need to be complete, although a summary must be provided that fits the criteria.
The criteria for entry have been modified from past years, based on feedback given by students, teachers, and libraries. The criteria is as follows:
1. Must be at least 15 years of age by September 1st, 2021.
2. Must still be in a secondary school as of September 1st, 2021.
3. Must not be more than 18 years of age as of September 1st, 2021.
There will be no financial burden put on the author, the author will only be required to edit and rewrite their story until standards are met.
The competition will consist of six stages as below:
1. The students would send in a book plot summary including a backstory for their major character plus the application form.
2. A team will review these applications and give feedback.
3. Students, based on that feedback, resubmit their application with further information.
4. A team reviews these second submissions and chooses a maximum of five authors to be shortlisted for the competition.
5. The shortlisted authors will be coached as to the publishing process through monthly zoom calls from an editor at WDB.
6. Three authors will be chosen and will begin the arduous task of editing and rewriting their manuscript until it is ready for publishing.
Wood Dragon Books is a hybrid publisher based in Mossbank, Saskatchewan that launched the young author competition in 2020. They started this competition with the hopes of giving teenage authors in the local library region the opportunity to have one of their books published. While Wood Dragon Books is carrying most of the economic burden, they still want to show appreciation for the support of the Palliser Regional Library and the teachers that support the students.
One of these teens that got this opportunity was Payton Todd in 2021. Payton won the competition and will have their book published as an E-book, in print, and as an audiobook.
If you aspire to be a published author, and you fit the criteria above then you can apply at: https://www.wooddragonbooks.com/young-author-competition/
