After a successful competition in 2017, Khyentse Foundation and Bala Kids are once again teaming up to offer the Khyentse Foundation Children’s Book Prize for best Buddhist children’s manuscript. Khyentse Foundation and Bala Kids have the shared vision to inspire and educate future generations about Buddhism and to encourage the development of Buddhist resources for parents and children.
This year, the prize will be offered to the best children's book about one or more of the five following foundational Buddhist topics:
- The Four Noble Truths
- Dependent Arising
- Karma
- Rebirth
- Impermanence
Submissions of exceptional stories for children ages 0–8, both fiction and nonfiction, from all Buddhist traditions, about any of the above topics are warmly welcomed. New authors are especially encouraged to apply.
The winning submission will receive a $5,000 publication offer from Bala Kids.
*Before submitting, please read the following guidelines carefully. They have been updated since the last competition.
Submission Guidelines
Content: A complete English-language picture book manuscript for children ages 0–8, on one or more of the five major Buddhist teachings mentioned above. Submissions that do not directly refer to these teachings will not be considered.
Format: The book should be conceived as a standard, full-size children’s picture book (not a board book). The exact trim size and page count will depend on the content and will be determined by the publisher, but generally the story should be conceived as ranging between 20–40 pages (not exceeding 2,000 words).
Illustrations: The prize is intended only for book manuscripts, therefore please do not submit illustrations. Illustrations for the winning story will be provided by the publisher in consultation with the author.
Consideration: Submissions will be reviewed by both Khyentse Foundation and Bala Kids and will be assessed based on their creativity, message, and adherence to the theme. It is possible that Bala Kids will make publication offers to multiple submissions; however, the Children’s Book Prize will be awarded to only one recipient. If there are no submissions that meet the standards of Khyentse Foundation and Bala Kids, the prize will be withheld until there is a new round of open submissions.
Contract: The winner will be offered a publishing contract by Bala Kids. All terms and conditions of the contract will be worked out between the author(s) and the publisher. Khyentse Foundation will not be directly involved in this process.
How to Submit
Please e-mail submissions to [email protected] with the subject line: KF Book Prize 2019.
All manuscripts should be submitted as PDF files, along with a short summary and short author biography in the body of the email.
Closing date: December 1, 2019
The winning author will be notified by March 1, 2020.
Prize award: $5,000 publication offer from Bala Kids
About The Khyentse Foundation
Khyentse Foundation is an international 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. The foundation supports all traditions of Buddhist study and practice, with beneficiaries in 30 countries over the past 18 years. Projects funded include chairs of Buddhist studies at the University of California at Berkeley and University of Michigan, a lectureship at the University of Sydney, the digitization of the entire Tibetan Buddhist scriptural canon, endowments for traditional monastic colleges in Asia, a worldwide scholarship program, and numerous other innovative initiatives. Learn more at khyentsefoundation.org.