Grant info
The Amber Brown Grant commemorates author and beloved school speaker, Paula Danziger. One school is awarded each year with an author or illustrator visit and new books to continue Paula’s love of connecting children with creative influences. SCBWI reserves the right not to confer this award in any given year.
Submissions open June 1 through June 30, 2024.
Submission guidelines
Any school can apply. You do not need to be a member to nominate a school. A statement of support from the nominated school’s principal. The winning school will be determined by an SCBWI committee and will be published in SCBWI INSIGHT and on the website, blog, and social platforms. One school will receive an all-expense-paid visit by a well-respected children’s author or illustrator. The chosen school will also receive a $250 stipend to create a memorable day and $250 worth of books by the visiting author/illustrator. Submit the following information via email:
1. Please describe your school’s population (urban/rural/suburban, socio-economic status, amount of diversity, etc.)
2. Have you ever had an author or illustrator speak at your school? If so, who was the last speaker and when did they visit your school?
3. Please select the kind of books you would like your students to hear about from a well respected author or illustrator. You may choose up to three kinds of books: Picture books, Easy-read books, Chapter books, Middle-grade, YA, Series books (for any age). The books may be of any genre. Explain why you have chosen each book type.
4. Paula Danziger, as an author and as a speaker, believed in celebrating life with great humor and sensitivity. Considering Paula’s celebratory spirit, please briefly describe how you would use the 3 sessions with the guest speaker to create a memorable event to celebrate reading, learning, and children’s literature. (Please keep your response to 150 words or fewer). In addition to the speaker, we will provide your school with a $250 stipend to assist you in creating this celebration.
5. Why would Amber Brown, the heroine of Paula Danziger’s Amber Brown series, want to have a children’s book writer or illustrator attend your school for a day? The response to this question can be the work of a student, a class, or a collaboration of the whole school. Feel free to have fun with the answer. Amber certainly would!
6. Please include a statement of support from the school's principle. You may format this statement as follows: I, ___(principle's name)_______, pledge the support of ______(school name)_________ to assist in any way possible to ensure the success of the Amber Brown Speaker Event.
Include these answers in the body of an email. Send the email to sarahdiamond@scbwi.org with the subject line "AMBER BROWN APPLICATION".
Donate to Amber Brown Fund
Please click HERE to donate to the Amber Brown Fund.
