Abrams has announced the inaugural Abrams Amplify Award, a contest created to “honor and uplift the voices of children’s book creators from marginalized communities.”
The contest, which begins on April 1, will accept middle grade manuscript submissions from unpublished authors, with an emphasis on highlighting Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latinx, Middle Eastern, and Native American/Indigenous creators. The inaugural three winners of varying tiers will be announced in October.
The winners will be selected by a panel of five publishing professionals, and middle grade author and We Need Diverse Books founding member Aisha Saeed. The first-prize winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000, editorial notes, and a one-on-one video conference meeting with an Abrams editor to discuss the creator’s submission. The second and third prize winners will receive $2,500 and $1,000 respectively, in addition to editorial notes on their submissions from an Abrams editor.
“Our mission at Abrams is to be inclusive in our publishing and bring vibrant stories to children.” said Andrew Smith, senior v-p and publisher of Abrams Children’s Books, in a statement. “We remain steadfast in our aim to publish books where creators from any and all identities can share their authentic stories.”
Looking towards the future, the company has already selected the category for its 2024 award, which will be picture books. Submissions for this year’s award will close on June 1. For more information, click here.
