Cheerios announced they will sponsor the third annual New Author Contest, offering children’s writers the chance to win $5,000 and consideration by children’s editors at a publisher.
Entries will be accepted between March 16 through July 15, 2009, and the rules are here. The contest has opened up a brand new book market as well. This spring, 1.5 million paperback copies of the first winning book will be distributed for free inside Cheerios boxes.
Here’s more about the first year’s winner, Shellie Braeuner, from the release: “Braeuner, a nanny from Nashville, [won] the $5,000 cash prize … over the past year, ‘The Great Dog Wash’ came to life. Simon & Schuster will publish ‘The Great Dog Wash,’ illustrated by Robert Neubecker, in hardcover this summer.”
EDITORS NOTE: An earlier version of this post had incorrect information about this year’s prize.