You must be a current member to nominate your book and at the time the award announcement is made. This award is open to SCBWI authors, illustrators, and translators.
Nominated books must be a PAL book first published within the previous calendar year.
This award is for PAL books; independently published books cannot be nominated.
Submit your book through the CRYSTAL KITE Banner in your MEMBER HOME. (You must be logged into the website to access your Member Home.)
You must have previously added a book to your Member Profile. (To do this, click the MY WORK tab in your Member Home and click on SHARE MY WORK.) Make sure your book has a 2024 publication date and a publisher from the dropdown list of verified PAL publishers.
When you click on the CRYSTAL KITE Banner, all of your eligible books will be waiting for you. (If you do not see your book, double check the MY WORK tab in your Member Home.)
Only books published in 2024 will be eligible for this year's Crystal Kite Awards.
Only submit one book per member.
There is a space in the submission form for you to add your book's co-creators. (If another member adds you as a co-creator, you are still eligible to submit another title on your own account.)
All SCBWI members are welcome to vote on their favorite books from each division. Members may vote once each round in as many divisions as they want.
Send questions about the Crystal Kite submission process by clicking the green HELP button on the right of this screen.
Nominations/Submissions: May 5 through May 31, midnight PST.
Round 1 Voting: June 2 through June 16, midnight PST.
Final Round Voting: June 18 through June 30, midnight PST.
Winners announced: July 7, 2025.
Social Media Rules:
We have strict anti-spamming rules. Once your book is entered you may promote the award on social media and to personal friends. You may invite people to vote for your book. You may not send emails to people you do not know to promote your book.
Winners are announced in July in a press release and on the SCBWI website/social media. Winners receive a crystal, engraved kite award, a silver sticker for their winning book, and one winner will be chosen to present at the SCBWI Summer Conference.
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