It’s here again. That time of the year where we knuckle down to the very serious task of unearthing great writing for young adults and children.

Entries are now open for The $10,000 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. Visit the prize page to download your entry form.

Important dates to keep in mind:

Entries open: Monday 3 May 2010

Entries close: Friday 4 June 2010

Winner announced: Monday 12 July 2010 at the Australian Booksellers Association conference

The inaugural winner, Richard Newsome’s The Billionaire’s Curse, has been a phenomenal success here and is about to be released all over the world including in the US, Canada and Germany. The second book of the trilogy, The Emerald Casket, will be released in July 2010.

Last year’s winner, This is Shyness by Leanne Hall, will be released in August of this year and is already receiving much advance praise with Simmone Howell calling it ‘a world-tilting romance’.

So put the finishing touches on your manuscript and get it in the post. It just might be you who is about to storm the world.