Alice Corrie Award

The Alice Corrie Award honours the work of a much-missed editor, colleague and friend. As an editor, Alice was kind and wise and endlessly enthusiastic. She was also utterly fabulous, much like her own picture book character, Fabulous Fifi the Flamenco Flamingo! 

AWARD OVERVIEW

In recognition of Alice’s all round brilliance, Orange Beak are proud to announce an award in her name, offering unpublished authors the chance to shine and to have the opportunity to be assessed and advised by an industry professional.

Alongside her career in children’s publishing, Alice was a cherished Orange Beak team member, and the feedback she gave to many clients on their stories was invaluable. It is Orange Beak’s privilege to recognise Alice’s work as an amazingly talented editor and champion of picture book making, especially with new and aspiring picture book authors, by inviting applicants for this award to ‘follow your dreams and be fabulous.’

ABOUT ALICE CORRIE

Alice worked for many years as an editor at Random House (now Penguin Random House), and as a freelance editor and project manager.

Alice worked on many, many books including:

  • Owl or Pussycat by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

  • Coming Home by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Kerry Hyndman

  • The Adventures of John Blake by Philip Pullman, illustrated by Fred Fordham

  • This Book Has Alpacas by Emma Perry, illustrated by Rikin Parekh

  • Charlie Stinky Socks series by Kristina Stephenson

  • The Marys Series by Gwynedd Rae, illustrated by Clara Vulliamy

  • The New Neighbours by Sarah McIntyre

  • Thornhill by Pam Smy

  • I Don't Like Books. Never. Ever. The End. by Emma Perry, illustrated by Sharon Davey

  • No! Said Rabbit by Marjoke Henrichs

  • Ready! Said Rabbit by Marjoke Henrichs

Owl or Pussycat by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

Owl or Pussycat by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

This Book Has Alpacas by Emma Perry, illustrated by Rikin Parekh

This Book Has Alpacas by Emma Perry, illustrated by Rikin Parekh

The Adventures of John Blake by Philip Pullman, illustrated by Fred Fordham

The Adventures of John Blake by Philip Pullman, illustrated by Fred Fordham

  • “She has, in my view, a unique insight, knowledge and understanding of how to make a story into a great book, a sensitive editor, a keen eye for detail, with a real feel for illustration and design. She’s a person I very soon realised I could rely on.”

    Michael Morpurgo

PRIZES

£200 each for the two winners (kindly donated by Alice’s family, and matched by an anonymous donor), and the opportunity to meet with an industry professional online and discuss your work.

JUDGES

The award will be judged by the Orange Beak team and the special editorial judges of: Sarah Pakenham (Publisher, Scallywag Press) and Helen Mackenzie Smith (Picture Books Publisher, Simon & Schuster Children’s Books).

KEY ENTRY INFORMATION

This award invites you to submit a picture book manuscript. Your manuscript must be one picture book text only, of 1,000 words or less. Please title your story and include your name.

  • The winners will be announced on May 28th 2025.

  • Your manuscript must be paginated/divided into a 32 page picture book.

  • Alongside the manuscript, please enclose a short bio (100 words max)

  • ​The manuscript and bio must be saved as one pdf file.

  • ​To enter your manuscript, you must pay for a ticket, via Eventbrite and then submit your manuscript by 3rd March 2025.

  • The entry fee for this competition is £10, and proceeds will be donated to Child Bereavement UK. The competition runs from November 6th 2024 until 11.59pm on March 3rd 2025 (UK Time Zone).

  • ​Entry is £10, and a portion of the profits will go towards Child Bereavement UK.

  • Please title the pdf as: yourname_AliceCorrieAward25

  • Your manuscript must be of email-able size (maximum 2MB per PDF) and the resolution must be clear enough to read.

  • ​Please email your submission to alicecorrieaward@orangebeakstudio.com

Terms and conditions

By submitting your work, you are confirming that this is your own original work and that you are the copyright owner. Entries that do not meet the entry requirements may be disqualified. The judges decision is final.

Please read the eligibility and frequently asked questions, and ensure you understand them before entering this award.

Eligibility:

  • The Alice Corrie Award is open to anyone over 18-years-old. Employees of Orange Beak and their family members may not enter.

  • Entries are limited to one person (1 PDF per person). The award is open to authors who haven’t either been published or contracted in the last 5 years.

  • We welcome international entries.

  • You don’t have to be a professional writer to enter.

  • You can be an illustrator who writes, and enter a manuscript.

  • Your manuscript should be considered for the picture book market and a children’s audience.

Frequently asked questions

  • If you win, you will be contacted via the email you submit with. We will celebrate you on our Orange Beak Studio Instagram. Each winner will also receive £100, and we will then facilitate the opportunity to meet with a publisher online.

  • The work you enter does not need to be new work, however, it must not be previously published in print or awarded in another competition.

  • You will receive an email saying that your submission has been received. The email will be monitored on a part-time basis, so please allow time for a response.

  • If you miss the deadline, you will not be considered for the award.

  • You cannot enter a non fiction manuscript - this award is for narrative fiction picture book manuscripts only.

  • For any enquiries email info@orangebeakstudio.com

Not sure if this opportunity is the right one for you? Don’t worry – take a look at what else we’ve got going on.

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