CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2021 WINNER
LAUREN GRIFFIN!!!
The Diverse New Member Pathway recognizes the talent of an individual pursuing publication in children’s literature.
AWARD:
─ Winner receives one year SCBWI membership
─ Tuition and one type of written Member Extra for the SCBWI-Illinois Interactive 2021 Conference. *Due to the world in flux, if the Fall Conference is postponed until 2022, $150 will be applied toward tuition to a the national 2021 SCBWI Summer conference.
─Written Portfolio Review or Manuscript Critique to the SCBWI-Illinois Interactive 2021 Conference (only.)
─ AND (3) one-on-one Zoom chats with team members from the SCBWI Illinois Equity and Inclusion Committee!!!( Chats will be 30 minutes and will take place over the course of the year) *These sessions are to build relationships/ help winner get the most out of their memberships. They are not sessions in which work will be critiqued.
GENERAL INFO & ELIGIBILITY:
─ Diverse Illinois children’s / YA writers and illustrators who have never been an SCBWI member, who live in Illinois and are at least 18 years in age.
─ Diverse for the purpose of this prize: people of color, Native people, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and people who identify as members of a religious or cultural minority.
─ There is no application fee. If you would like to contribute to future prizes, please email the Regional Advisor.
─ APPLY between February 1 and March 1 (by 11:59 PM CST): No applications will be accepted outside this date range.
─ The winner will be selected by the SCBWI-IL Diversity Committee and announced April 15, 2021 via email / social media.
APPLICATION DETAILS:
1. COVER PAGE including the following info:
─ Full name
─ Mailing Address
─ E-mail address
─ Phone number
─ Diversity the with which the applicant identifies.
─ Sample Format: Picture Book, Early Reader, Chapter Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Non-Fiction, Poetry
─ 250-500 word essay describing the following:
─ How your work will bring forward an underrepresented voice.
─ A brief history of how you have been working on your craft.
─ How a membership in SCBWI will move your career forward.
─ Why you want to attend SCBWI-Illinois Interactive.
─ What you hope to get out of a written review/critique of your work at 2021 Illinois Interactive,
─ How you would like to be involved as a member of your SCBWI-IL Region
–Submit as a Word Doc labeled as : Last_first.doc or Last_first.docx ( ex. Alcantara_Jacqueline.docx )
2. WRITING / ILLUSTRATION SAMPLE:
─ Your name should NOT appear on any pages of your sample.
─ Document should be named with the following naming convention: Last_first.pdf
FOR WRITERS:
Submit sample from a manuscript, no more than 5 pages in length. (Novels may include an additional one-page synopsis). Double-spaced, Times 12-point font, one-inch margins, no headers.
Poetry submissions (this includes rhyming picture books, picture books in verse, and stand-alone collections) should conform to the guidelines above. However, they may be single-spaced, with a double space between the stanzas, per industry standards. Stand-alone collections (i.e. a group of poems intended to be published as one book) must have a page break at the end of each poem.
FOR ILLUSTRATORS:
Submit a pdf of 4-6 pieces suitable for children’s book illustration.
FOR WRITER-ILLUSTRATORS:
Submit sample from a manuscript, no more than 5 pages in length (Novels may include an additional one-page synopsis) Double-spaced, Times 12-point font, one-inch margins, no headers.
PLUS
1 finished illustration from accompanying mss.
*Graphic Novel submissions: IF YOU ARE BOTH THE WRITER AND ILLUSTRATOR, in addition to a manuscript sample, submit 1 finished illustration which corresponds to your sample. Your submission will contain up to 7 pages maximum: 5 script pages, a 1-page synopsis and 1 page of finished art
UPLOAD APPLICATION: DEADLINE HAS PASSED
Application Questions? Email Urania Smith SCBWI-IL Diversity Committee Member
*If you are already a diverse SCBWI member living in Illinois, consider applying to the Many Voices Prize.
PAST DNMP RECIPIENTS:
2021 Lauren Griffen
2020 Erica Thomas
2019 Samina Hadi-Tabassum
2018 Felicia Whaley
2017 Jiton Sharmayne Davidson