The Global Community for Children’s Book Creators

Annual Peer-Voted Honors Celebrate Excellence in Children’s Literature

Congratulations to our #SCBWIDrawThis winners! Practice your craft and build you portfolio by participating in monthly art prompts. Member Illustrators can post their DrawThis! entries on Instagram, Bluesky, and on the Illustrator Gallery with the tag #SCBWIDrawThis to enter and have your art seen by industry pros. The AUGUST 2026 prompt is TROPICAL.

The award will be presented for the first time in 2027 and will honor books originally published in 2026. SCBWI recognizes the skilled translators who bring diverse stories to young readers in languages around the world.

SCBWI-branded merchandise is now available! Get your water bottles and multi-sized sweatshirts and t-shirts online now.

Get to know this month’s illustrator – their techniques, how they got started, and how they navigate the publishing industry. Take the Featured Illustrator Challenge and apply now to be the next Featured Illustrator!

Jane Yolen, author of over 450 children’s books and beloved founding member of SCBWI, passed away last week at the age of 87. Although her loss is immeasurable, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate her beautiful life with you. Photo: The Boston Globe

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and the children’s book world, is saddened by the news that author, mentor and friend, Jane Yolen, has died. She was 87 and her loss cannot be measured.

Once again, SCBWI will have a booth filled with FREE events, networking opportunities, and a welcoming space for our global community to connect. We’re also excited to announce that applications for the 2027 Bologna Scholarship will open in September. We hope to see you there! In the meantime, take a look back at some of the highlights from 2026…

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the children’s book world, and young readers worldwide mourn the passing of author and friend, Mildred Pitts Walter. She was 104 years old, and was still writing for children.

Every child deserves to see themselves in a book. Authors Hanh Bui, Edwidge Danticat, Zahra Marwan, Meera Sriram, and Suma Subramaniam joined SCBWI for a conversation on representation and belonging. Watch now through SCBWI YouTube.

With over 1,000 books submitted annually, the Golden Kite Awards recognize outstanding achievement in seven categories. The 2026 Golden Kite winners and honor winners were announced live on February 6, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be a hot topic in children’s publishing. Publishers Weekly recently spoke with SCBWI Executive Director Sarah Baker about Google’s AI Gemini Storybook app, which lets users create personalized, illustrated storybooks with read-aloud narration.