Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices
Submissions are Now Open
February 25, 2026 – April 17, 2026
Enter Below
The Jewell Parker Rhodes Fellowship for Emerging Voices will award an annual $10,000 grant to an unpublished or self-published writer creating works for children. Created to honor Jewell Parker Rhodes’s legacy as a groundbreaking children’s author, the Fellowship uplifts emerging voices while addressing inequities in the publishing industry. This initiative aims to address inequities in the publishing industry by supporting writers whose work explores lesser-known histories of historically underserved communities for young readers.
Submission Requirements
- The first (3) chapters of a novel targeted at a middle grade audience;
- A comprehensive synopsis of the novel.
Please submit materials as pdf, doc, or docx.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be unpublished or self-published writers, as well as unagented.
- Applicants must be a legal resident of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or older as of February 25, 2026.
Award Details and Grantee Support
- Grant Amount: $10,000
- Professional Development: A U.S. $1,000 stipend to be utilized for a trip to New York City to meet with an LBYR editor and receive two rounds of feedback on their submission.
- Submission Opportunity: The grantee will have the opportunity to have the submission reviewed by an LBYR editor for consideration of publication. Hachette waives any commitment to publish the selected manuscript.
Winner Selection
On or about July 13th, 2026, three (3) finalists will be selected by a panel of one (1) representative from the Sponsor’s Editorial team, one (1) representative from We Need Diverse Books, one (1) representative from Literary Agents of Change, and one (1) representative from The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
On or about August 3rd, 2026, one (1) winner will be selected from the pool of finalists by author Jewell Parker Rhodes using the following criteria:
- Literary excellence, originality, voice targeted to the intended audience of the writing sample, and ability to reflect both middle grade and historically underserved experiences: 50%
- Clarity of vision for how the Grant will advance the winner’s writing career: 25%
- Impact and relevance: Does the story offer representation or insights that are currently missing or underserved in middle grade literature? 25%
Judges’ decisions will be final and binding in all matters related to this Contest. In the event of a tie, the judges will reconsider the tied Submissions using the judging criteria stated above to determine one (1) Award winner. Sponsor reserves the right to not provide the Award if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Submissions. Sponsor will not reveal the judging scores for any Submission.