01.09.2005

Emily Gravett, a recent illustration graduate from the university and winner of the 2004 Macmillan Children's Book prize will now see her first picture book Wolves on sale across the country. Wolves (pictured right) has already been widely acclaimed in the UK and internationally with rights sold in five countries and all of the UK bookselling chains looking to stock it.

Emily was prepared for hard work and a slow start to her freelance career. Instead, she secured a three-book publishing deal before she had even completed her course.

It all began when she submitted an entry to the 2003 Macmillan Children's Book Prize, an annual student competition run by the publishers to find new picturebook illustrators. Encouraged by a 'highly commended' rating for her entry she tried for the £1,000 prize again in 2004, this time sending in two submissions.

"I tried not to think about the competition too much so was really shocked when I heard I'd won. Even better, I found out that the entries are judged 'blind' (without the entrants' names) and that the judges had wanted both my books to win - so were delighted to discover they were both by the same person!"

The judges (who included Macmillan's managing director Kate Wilson and art director Anne Glenn, illustrator Axel Scheffler, and Observer political cartoonist and illustrator Chris Riddell) finally awarded the prize to Emily's book Wolves but also offered publication of both her competition entries and a third book Meerkat Mail, which is due out in August 2006.

Emily's second book Orange Pear Apple Bear, aimed at younger children, is due out in spring 2006. She has just signed a contract for two more picture books with Macmillan, to be published in 2007. Emily said: "I was expecting to leave university with a long slog ahead of me. Instead I am doing exactly what I dreamed of."

Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022