New Voices in Children's Literature: Tassy Walden Awards

The Entry submission deadline for the New Voices in Children's Literature: 12th Annual Tassy Walden Awards is February 3, 2012. Follow the links below for the guidelines and entry form and for helpful hints and tips.

Guidelines and Entry Form

Download "Getting Started" Tip Sheet
Download "Helpful Tips" for Illustrators
Download Tassy Walden Award Sample Manuscript Pages

This annual competition presented by the Shoreline Arts Alliance encourages and nurtures the creation of exceptional quality books for children by unpublished Connecticut writers and illustrators. An award of $250 is presented to the winners in each of five categories, as judged by publishing industry experts and at their discretion, including: Picture Book (text only), Illustrated Picture Book,Children's Book Illustrator's Portfolio, Middle Grade Novel and Young Adult/Teen Novel.

All submissions to the New Voices in Children's Literature competition must adhere to Entry form requirements and are evaluated pursuant to children's book publishing standards and guidelines in a two-tier process. Nationally recognized literary agents make an initial selection of submission finalists in each award category after which acclaimed editors determine awards.

New Voices in Children's Literature: Tassy Walden Awards are judged on the basis of literary and/or artistic merit and quality. Awards are not for didactic intent or for popularity. In evaluating submissions, judges consider excellence achieved among the following areas:

For Writers: Establishment of the theme; plot development; character development; depiction of setting; suitability of material for a child audience; overall presentation, including clarity, accuracy and organization of material

For Illustrators: Artistic technique; ability to convey story, theme, characters, plot, information, setting and mood through pictures; suitability of style of illustration for a child audience.

For more information: 203-453-3890 or donita@shorelinearts.org.

Illustration by Anne Kubitsky

The Shoreline Arts Alliance wishes to thank the following locations for providing us with workshop space: New Haven Free Public Library, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and Fairfield University Book Store. We also wish to thank the workshop facilitators: Alice E. Bauer, Doe Boyle, Debbie Freeman, Anne Kubitsky, Amanda Marrone and Nina Nelson.

2011 Winners & Finalists:
Picture Book (text)
No Winner
Finalists: Jordan Fenster-Weston, Maribel Girnius-Essex, Paula Wilson-Glastonbury

Illustrated Picture Book
Winner: Anne Kubitsky-Guilford
Finalists: Jennifer Edwards- New Canaan, Natalie Fifer-Portland, Katherine Kopcha-Southington

Illustrator's Portfolio
No Winner
Honorable Mention: Justin Van Deursen, Essex

Middle Grade Novel
Winner: Betsy Devany MacLeod-Ledyard
Finalists: Karen Lindeborg-Pawcatuck, Kate Lynch-Somers, Traci Grigg-Madison, Heather DiLorenzo-West Hartford

Young Adult Novel
Winner: Steve Parlato- Waterbury
Honorable Mention: Faith Hough-Guilford
Finalist: Leslie Cahill-Milford

Published Tassy Award Winners & Finalists:
Here is a list of Tassy award winning writers and illustrators now published or under contract for publication.
Alice C. Bauer, Leslie Bulion,Leslie Connor,Maggie Dana, Stacy DeKeyser, Frank Dormer, Julia Denos,Angela Accetta Ferrigno, Deborah Freedman,Thea Guidone, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Rolandas Kiaulevicius, Jason Marchi, Amanda Marrone, Marilyn Taylor McDowell, Nina Nelson, Jane Sutcliffe.

The following winners or finalists have self-published their award-winning submissions: Laura Foltz Felice and Cheryl Kling.