The Cheerios® New Author Contest, which kicked off its search on March 22 for the next great new children’s book author, provides aspiring writers the perfect opportunity to make this dream a reality. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a possible publishing deal with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, in addition to having his or her book featured inside Cheerios cereal boxes nationwide.

As part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to nurturing the whole child and connecting families by fostering a shared love of reading, Cheerios invites aspiring authors to enter its New Author Contest now through July 15. Entrants must write and submit an original story, in either English or Spanish, suitable for children ages three to eight.

Cheerios is also announcing that 2009 New Author Contest Grand Prize Winner Laurie Isop and her book, ‘How Do You Hug a Porcupine?,’ will be featured inside three million specially-marked boxes of Cheerios this spring. Isop’s story, which was selected from more than 8,000 entries, will also be available in bookstores nationwide as of July 26.

In conjunction with the launch of this year’s New Author Contest, Cheerios plans to donate 100,000 new books through its charitable partner, First Book. As part of its Spoonfuls of Stories® program, Cheerios works with First Book to get high quality, award winning books in the hands of children in need. Since the program’s inception in 2002, Cheerios has given away more than 50 million children’s books free inside cereal boxes. Cheerios has also donated $3.5 million to the nonprofit First Book® to get books to children from low-income families.

Ron Rauss has officially been named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 New Author Contest and will follow in Isop’s footsteps when his winning story ‘Can I Just Take a Nap?’ is distributed inside Cheerios cereal boxes next spring 2012.