Synopsis for a series - how to mention it

[BrightNewLife]

I'm submitting to a children's writing competition and as usual, the submission needs a synopsis of the whole book.

However, my book will be part of a trilogy, so do I mention this up front in the opening lines of the synopsis? Or would that awkwardly detract from the first opening lines?

Or should I mentioned the other two follow-on books at the end and go "...so that sets the stage for the next two novels, X and Y, set in X and Y."

Would an editor prefer to know the submission is part of a series up front, or should I keep that as the 'punchline'?

Or, should I do something else and note this at the top of the page, along with audience and genre?

Any tips much appreciated!

The phrase people usually use is something like, "this is a stand-alone book with series potential". When you're pitching one book you don't waste precious words on other books that might follow.

However, if you're submitting this to a competition I don't think it's significant. Just write the best synopsis you can, and hope this one book does the job you want it to do.