Nicky Johnston

1 July, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

Nicky Johnston is an educator, speaker, and author/illustrator of children’s books. She enjoys every aspect of creating books for kids, especially illustration. Nicky’s illustration style is often described as whimsical, emotive, soft, and expressive. Her love of teaching sees her busy with school visits and Continue reading →

Title

Where Shall We Travel Today?

1 July, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

Written by Kristin Martin and
illustrated by Nicky Johnston

A group of neighbourhood friends search for adventure. They climb mountains, sail through waterfalls and snorkel the reef. At night, they marvel at the sky above and wonder where to go next.

Where Shall We Travel Today? is a delightful story about the power of the imagination, of stories and of Continue reading Where Shall We Travel Today? →

Title

When Dark Waters Burn

15 June, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Zena Shapter

Stay out of sight. Stay hidden under the lake. Giant water-ants scout the surface and deadly trees slop their hungry roots along the shoreline. Unrest surges in the swamps, getting closer and closer… Sala will only be safe for as long as Continue reading When Dark Waters Burn →

Uncategorized

Pause in Submissions

7 May, 2025 Editor-in-Chief 2 Comments

PLEASE NOTE: Due to an overwhelming number of submissions, we are taking a break. Submissions are now closed from the 7th of May 2025 until the 1st of December 2025. Any submissions sent before the 1st of December 2025 will not be considered and will not be replied to. If you made a submission before the 7th of May, please rest assured that we will review your work and endeavour to respond to you as soon as we can. When we reopen, please follow the guidelines.

overwhelmed editor

Author

Gisela Ervin-Ward

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

Gisela Ervin-Ward writes stuff for kids to read and teaches them how to read it. She grew up on a farm in Western Victoria and moved to South-East Asia to be an aid worker for many years before returning to Australia with her family to live in the Macedon Ranges. She’s now a writer of children’s tales and specialist literacy teacher, teaching neurodivergent children how to read. Continue reading →

Title

True South

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Gisela Ervin-Ward

PB 192 | 198 x 129
ISBN: 9781922858597 | $19.99
Middle Grade | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | 25 May 2025
Distributed by NewSouth Books

When twelve-year-old Nell crashes her sailboat into a submerged house in the lake, she stumbles into a treasure hunt that plunges her into a generations-old family feud.

Things begin to take a sinister turn as the adults get involved, and Nell has no choice but to team up with her neighbour and family rival, Charlie. As friendships begin to morph and stretch, can these two unlikely allies end the feud and work out the treasure’s secrets, or will their rivalry lead to one last epic Continue reading True South →

Title

When Dark Waters Burn

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Zena Shapter

Stay out of sight. Stay hidden under the lake. Even as giant water-ants scout the surface, and deadly trees slop their hungry roots along the shoreline. For unrest surges in the swamps, getting closer and closer… Sala will only be safe for as long as their ship’s location remains a secret. But when a horrifying threat ignites close to home, and the lakeside hillfarms are forced to reveal a desperate Continue reading When Dark Waters Burn →

Title

Shift

9 January, 2025 Editor-in-Chief

by Irma Gold

PB | 234 x 153
ISBN: 9781922858566 | $34.99
Adult fiction | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | March 2025
Distributed by NewSouth Books

In the year of the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter — which outlined the principles of democracy and freedom in South Africa — comes a novel set in the township where it was signed. Shift asks us to examine both the world around us… and ourselves. Continue reading Shift →

Uncategorized

Picture Book Prize Entry Form

8 November, 2024 Editor-in-Chief

In March 2026, MidnightSun Publishing will be awarding the inaugural MidnightSun Publishing Picture Book Prize where the winner will have their work published by MidnightSun Publishing. We are so excited to see what is out there and to read all your stories.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
Entrants must be over the age of 18 to submit their manuscript.
The work must be original, not created or assisted by AI.
The entry fee of $60.00 (AUD) must be paid at the time of submission.
Entrants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents at the time of submission.
The submission must not have been previously published by another publishing company.

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE 25 DECEMBER 2025. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Times New Roman Font
Font Size 12
Double Line Spacing
Submissions must be in English
Upload as a Word Document

PAYMENT OF ENTRY FEE
At the end of this form, entrants will be asked to pay the entry fee of $60.00 (AUD).
Each entry must be submitted separately. One entry is $60.00 (AUD).

CONTACT INFORMATION
If entrants have any queries or concerns please contact the team at MidnightSun Publishing.
Email: picturebookprize2026@midnightsunpublishing.com

Email (required)

First Name and Surname (required)

Date of Birth (required, must be over 18 years to enter)

Phone Number (required)

Picture Book Information

The following questions are about your picture book submission.
Please upload a copy of your manuscript as a Word document.

Picture Book Title (required)

Please upload your picture book manuscript as a Word document (.doc or .docx, up to 10 MB)

Have you previously been published by a different publisher?
(If yes, which publisher and what titles?) (required)

Do you confirm that you have read and agree to the conditions of entry? (required)
Yes, I have read and agree to the conditions of entry

Do you confirm that this work is entirely your own and has not been previously published anywhere prior to this submission? (required)
Yes, I confirm that this work is my own and it has not been previously published

Payment of Entry Fee

To complete your submission, please submit the form to pay the entry fee of $60.00 (AUD).

A confirmation email may take a day or so to arrive. Please be patient. If however you have not received a confirmation email within 3 days, please query us at picturebookprize2026@midnightsunpublishing.com. There has been an intermittent fault where the payment goes through but the manuscript and information go missing.

This form uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your data is processed.

Uncategorized

Picture Book Prize Conditions

8 November, 2024 Editor-in-Chief

Entry into this competition is deemed acceptance of these Conditions of Entry.
Entrants must be Australian citizens or Australian Residents.
Entrants must be over the age of 18 to submit their manuscript.
Entries must be received by MidnightSun Publishing by the 25th of December 2025 (by 23:59pm ACDT).
Entrants can submit multiple works, but a new submission form must be filled out for each entry and an entry fee of $60 (AUD) paid for each submission.
Entries that have incorrect or false contact details will not be accepted.
Each entrant warrants that their submission is entirely an original work and not created by AI or created with the assistance of AI.
For a submission to be accepted, the submission form must be completed, the picture book uploaded to the form and the entry fee of $60 (AUD) paid.
The submission must not have been previously published by another publishing company.
Entrants acknowledge that if their submission wins, MidnightSun Publishing is granted the first option of publishing the work and reserves the right to negotiate a standard publishing contract with the winning entrant.

Teacher Notes

Teacher Notes – The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books

27 August, 2024 Editor-in-Chief 1 Comment

Teachers’ Notes for The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books (pdf, 1.8 Mb)

Title

Willow’s Gumboots

27 August, 2024 Editor-in-Chief

by Beverley McWilliams and Hélène Magisson

Willow loved her gumboots. She wore them wherever she went. The gumboots were there in the garden, at the beach and even at parties. But one day Willow discovered that something was wrong with her beloved gumboot.

A delightful story for anyone who has ever had a Continue reading Willow’s Gumboots →

Author

Hélène Magisson

27 August, 2024 Editor-in-Chief

Hélène Magisson is a critically acclaimed French-Australian illustrator of many books for children. Before Hélène turned to book illustration, she was a painting restorer in Paris, where she was also trained in the art of medieval illumination. Hélène’s children’s books are widely known and loved across the world. Her timeless style lends itself beautifully to classics, such as The Velveteen Rabbit (New Frontier, 2021), and also universal contemporary stories, such as Before You Were Born (HarperCollins, 2020).

Hélène is frequently recognised by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Most recently, she was Continue reading Hélène Magisson →

Title

Double Happiness

26 August, 2024 Editor-in-Chief 1 Comment

by Rochelle Siemienowicz

PB | 234 x 153
ISBN: 9781922858474 | $34.99
Adult fiction | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | 1 October 2024
Distributed by NewSouth Books

One woman, two men. What if she doesn’t have to choose?

Overcome with guilt about a love affair she can’t give up, Anna confesses to her husband, Brendan. He is shocked and devastated but makes the unusual decision to try to accept the lover, Jeremy, as part of their family.

Told from three perspectives, Double Happiness is a story about sex, honesty and jealousy – and the challenges of forging a new kind of romance.

Set in Melbourne over seven years, this lyrical contemporary love story explores the complexities of non-monogamy with humour and heart, asking what it’s like to love two, or more, people equally but differently. What is the effect of time on erotic love? And what happens when your new lover wants someone else too? Continue reading Double Happiness →

Author

Rochelle Siemienowicz

26 August, 2024 Editor-in-Chief

Rochelle Siemienowicz is a writer, editor and arts journalist. Her first book was Fallen (Affirm Press, 2015), a memoir about sex, religion and marrying too young. Her debut novel, Double Happiness (MidnightSun, 2024) is a polyamorous love story. Rochelle’s work has been published widely, including in The Age, SBS, Kill Your Darlings, The Big Issue, Metro, ArtsHub and Kalliope X. She has a PhD in Australian cinema and was for many years a film and TV critic and columnist. She lives in Melbourne with her two partners, her son, and a beloved Continue reading →

Picture Book Information

Payment of Entry Fee

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