by Hilde Garcia
For a while, I wasn’t. I just didn’t think anyone should be
reading my work-in-progress or even would want to read it. Then as I was cleaning out an old writing
file, I found SCBWI’s Awards and Grants
Flyer.
And it got me thinking.
Why not? Why not have someone read my work-in-progress? Why not apply again? I had a long, long time ago, when my story
was in its infancy, and I wasn’t selected, so in a drawer went the file and the
flyer and possibly some of my hope too.
I didn’t realize how many other options are available now and
what a huge opportunity to jumpstart the publishing process for me.
Therefore, whether you knew about them or not, here are
SCBWI’s Awards and Grants! With so many
ways to make a difference in your writing, why not take the plunge?
SCBWI’s guidance and support makes publication a tangible
reality. I’m so honored to be a member.
I'll be submitting before the year is done, hope you do as well.
Happy Submitting!
ON THE VERGE EMERGING VOICES AWARD
The SCBWI established the
On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award in 2012 with funding from Martin
and Sue Schmitt of the 455 Foundation. The grant was created to foster the
emergence of diverse voices in children’s books.
Deadline:
Applications accepted between September 15th and November 15th,
2014
Award:
Two writers or writer/illustrators will each receive:
1. All-expense paid trip
to the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA: August 1-4,
2015 (transportation and hotel)
2. Tuition to the
SCBWI Summer Conference
3. A manuscript consultation
at the Summer Conference with an industry professional
4. An additional meeting
with an industry professional
5. Tuition to the Summer
Conference Writers or Illustrators Intensive6.
6. A press
release
Eligibility:
Any writer or writer/illustrator from an ethnic and/or
cultural background that is traditionally under-represented in children’s
literature in America. (American Indian, Asian, Black or African American,
Hispanic, Pacific Islander)
The manuscript must be an original work written in English for
young readers and may not be under contract. The applicant must be
over 18, be unpublished, and should not yet have representation.
Guidelines:
All applications will be accepted via email only between
September 15th and November 15th at Voices@scbwi.org
and must include the following:
In the body of the
e-mail:
1. An autobiographical statement and career summary in less than
250 words.
2. Why your work will bring forward an underrepresented voice in
less than 250 words.
3. A synopsis of your manuscript in less than 250 words.
Attached to the
e-mail:
4. A PDF of your entire manuscript. If the manuscript
is not complete, it is not eligible.
The winners will be announced December 19, 2014 and the
award presented at the 2015 SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, August
1-4.
When your work is published the author/illustrator
should include in the acknowledgement "This
book was made possible in part by a grant from SCBWI."
THE WORK IN PROGRESS AWARD
The Work-in-Progress
Award showcases outstanding
manuscripts from the members of the SCBWI. The selected works will receive a
special platform to be showcased to the most prestigious publishing houses
in the field. We will choose 1 winner and up to 5 honorable
mentions in each of the following 6 categories.
Categories:
Picture Book Text
Chapter Books/Early Readers
Middle Grade
Young Adult Fiction
Nonfiction
Multi-Cultural Fiction or Nonfiction
Award:
The works submitted by winners and honorable
mention recipients will be made available on a secure webpage and
presented to a hand-selected group of editors for their consideration. Although
this is not a guarantee of publication, the opportunity to have your work
presented to acquiring editors, along with an SCBWI
endorsement, is a rare and much prized opportunity.
Deadline:
Applications may be submitted March 1-March
31, 2015. Winners will be announced in September.
Eligibility:
- You must be a current SCBWI
member when your work is submitted and when the award is
announced in September.
- You may not submit a work that
is under contract. If the work becomes under contract before the award is
announced, you will become ineligible.
- You may submit to only one
WIP grant category per year.
- The grant is open to authors
with a current work-in-progress. Illustrators can apply for one of the Don Freeman Grants.
Guidelines:
IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOUR APPLICATION FOLLOWS
THE BELOW INSTRUCTIONS COMPLETELY.
1.
You must submit your
application electronically in the form of ONE PDF.
YOUR PDF APPLICATION MUST INCLUDE:
1. A first page that contains:
- Your name
- Manuscript Title
- Grant Category
- A double-spaced synopsis, max 250 words
2. The first 10 pages of your completed
manuscript.
- Your manuscript must be double-spaced and cannot exceed 10 pages.
3. Title the PDF with your name
(first_last.pdf)
- TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION:
- Email your completed application to: wipgrant@scbwi.org
- Put the category you are applying to in the subject line of the
email
- Put your full name and the name of your manuscript in the body of
the email.
- Send the PDF as an attachment to your email
 |
| Karen Cushman |
THE LATE BLOOMER AWARD
The Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer
Award is for authors over the age of fifty who
have not been traditionally published in the children’s literature field. The
grant was established by Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient
Karen Cushman and her husband, Philip Cushman, in conjunction with the Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen published her first
children’s book, The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner
of the 1996 Newbery Medal), at the age of fifty-three and has gone on to become
one of the field’s most acclaimed novelists.
"This award
was established to encourage and celebrate late bloomers like me, who didn't
start to write until age fifty. But then I bloomed, and I'd love to see
others do so as well,” said Karen.
SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver agreed, “One of the great aspects of writing children’s books is that it’s not
age-restrictive. The SCBWI hopes an individual’s creative expression can make a
valuable contribution, no matter what his or her age.”
The award is open to unpublished children’s book authors or
author/illustrators over the age of fifty, and one winner will be chosen from
the pool of those who have submitted material for the SCBWI Work-In-Progress
Grants.
About Karen Cushman
Karen Cushman is the author of The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner of the 1996
Newbery Medal), Catherine, Called Birdy (a
Newbery Honor book), The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (winner
of the John and Patricia Beatty Award), and her latest book,Will Sparrow's Road (Clarion 2012). Karen lives
and writes on Vashon Island in Washington. To learn more about Karen
visit www.karencushman.com.
Deadline:
Submitted through the Work-In-Progress
application from March 1-31.
Award:
$500 and free tuition to any SCBWI
conference anywhere in the world.
Guidelines:
1. You must be a current member.
2. The award is open to
unpublished writers and writer/illustrators fifty years of age and
older.
3. Applicants send an additional email with the same Work-in-Progress grant application they
have already submitted to: wipgrant@scbwi.org with
"Cushman" in the subject line and your full name in the body of the
email. (You will be sending two emails to
the same address with the same attachment but different subject lines.)
4. The applicant cannot have been published or have a project under
contract in the children’s book field.
All Work-In-Progress Grant guidelines apply.
The final judging will be by a committee including Karen Cushman
and Lin Oliver.
Questions? grants@scbwi.org
FOR PUBLISHED AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS
Book Launch Award- Provides authors or illustrators with $2,000 in funds to help the promotion of
their newly published work and take the marketing strategy into their own
creative hands.
Crystal Kite Award- Peer-given award to recognize great books from 15 SCBWI regional
divisions around the world.
Golden Kite Award- Instituted
in 1973, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged
by a jury of peers. The Golden Kite Awards recognize excellence in children’s
literatures in four categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Book Text, and
Picture Book Illustration.
 |
| Jane Yolen |
Magazine Merit Award- For original magazine work for young people in the
categories of fiction, nonfiction, illustration, and poetry.
Martha Weston Grant- The
Martha Weston Grant was established by the Hairston Family to
remember author/illustrator Martha Weston. The grant helps authors
and illustrators who want to switch children's book genres.
 |
| Martha Weston |
Sid Fleischman Award- Given
with the Golden Kite Awards, an award for exemplary writing for children in the
genre of humor.
 |
| Sid Fleischman |
Spark Award- An
annual award that recognizes excellence in a children’s book published through
a non-traditional publishing route.
Work-In-Progress Award- To assist children’s book writers and illustrators in
the publication of a specific project currently not under contract. Given in
the categories of: Picture Book Text, Chapter Books/Early
Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult Fiction, Nonfiction,
and Multi-Cultural Fiction or Nonfiction.
COMMUNITY GRANTS
Amber Brown- The Amber Brown Grant commemorates author and beloved school speaker, Paula Danziger. Two schools are awarded each year with an author or illustrator visit and new books to continue Paula’s love of connecting children with creative influences.
 |
| Paula Danzinger |
Tribute Fund- The SCBWI Tribute Fund commemorates members of the children’s book community, their lives, and their work by funding all-expense scholarships to the SCBWI International Summer and Winter Conferences for the general membership.
Not a member of SCBWI? Join and take advantage of the opportunities that await you.
by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Mid-South (Kansas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Tennessee/Kentucky/Missouri/Mississippi)
