Kids Are Authors is an annual competition open to Grades K–8 and is designed to encourage students to use their reading, writing, and artistic skills to create their own books. Under the guidance of a project coordinator, children work in teams of three or more students to write and illustrate their own book. A librarian, teacher, teacher’s aide or parent can be the project coordinator.

One Grand Prize winner from each category (Fiction and Nonfiction) will be selected for publication and will receive $5,000 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs Instructional Resource Catalog to be awarded to the school or non-profit organization, 100 copies of their published book, and a Gold Medallion. Twenty-five Honorable Mention winners will receive $500 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs Instructional Resource Catalog to be awarded to the school or non-profit organization and Student Award Certificates.