Golden Kite Awards

View the 2023 SCBWI Golden Kite Award Winners Here

Award info

Instituted in 1973, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers. More than 1,000 books are entered each year. The Golden Kite Awards recognize excellence in children’s literature in seven categories: Young Reader and Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers, Nonfiction Text for Older Readers, Picture Book Text, Picture Book Illustration, and Illustration for Older Readers.  The winner in each category will receive $2,500 plus an additional $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit organization of their choice. Each honor winner will receive $500 plus an additional $250 to donate. SCBWI reserves the right not to confer this award in any given year.

Submissions open on June 15, 2024.

Deadline to submit is November 15, 2024.

Awards Ceremony

The Golden Kite Awards Ceremony for books published in 2024 will take place online in 2025--exact date TBA.

Submission guidelines

You may apply as an author, illustrator, or translator of a book published in 2024. You must be a current member through December 2024 to have a book submitted to the Golden Kite Awards.

Only books written or translated into English are accepted.

Books must be published by PAL publishers.

Please submit THREE copies of your book. All submissions MUST BE in completed, bound form. NO GALLEYS.

Categories include:

Picture Book Text

Picture Book Illustration

Illustrated Books for Older Readers (includes graphic novels, fiction, and nonfiction for middle grade and young adult illustrated books)

Middle Grade

Young Adult

Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers

Nonfiction Text for Older Readers

Guidelines for publishers will be emailed directly.

Individuals, please mail three copies of each book (three per category) to: SCBWI 6363 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 114 Los Angeles, CA 90048

SUBMISSIONS MUST BE CLEARLY LABELED WITH THE CATEGORY TO WHICH YOU ARE SUBMITTING. PLEASE INCLUDE A POST-IT OR PAPER SLIP WITH YOUR CATEGORY NAME.

You may submit your book to ONE category only, except in the case of Picture Book Text, Picture Book Illustration, and Illustrated Books for Older Readers. For example, you may submit to Illustrated Books for Older Readers for the illustrator, and the same book can be submitted for the Middle Grade award for the author. However, both the author and the illustrator must be current members. If you are mailing these entries to the SCBWI office, please submit SIX copies of the book.

The book submitted must be published in 2024.

Self-published books are not eligible, however, you may enter your independently published book in the Spark Award.

One Golden Kite Award Winner and Honor book will be chosen per category. Winning books will be included in a press release and an announcement on the SCBWI website and social and will receive gold stickers for their books.

Although SCBWI advisory council members are eligible to enter their books in the Golden Kites, the advisory council have decided that should any of them win, they will donate the prize money to a nonprofit organization of their choice.

Winners will be announced at the Golden Kite Awards Ceremony in 2025.

Questions? Please email the Golden Kite Coordinator.