Illustrator Opportunities
We are excited to offer several opportunities to illustrators who attend the conference.
Portfolio Showcase ($30)
4:30–6:00 p.m. Saturday, September 13
SCBWI Midsouth will host a juried portfolio showcase on Saturday, September 13th. To participate, select this option when registering for the conference. Then bring your portfolio to the registration table between 11:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Portfolios will have a private viewing with faculty before the Cocktail and Autograph Party. Faculty members will be encouraged to mark their favorite pieces from all portfolios submitted, and an overall winner will be selected and announced at the Create a Scene Bash. No digital portfolios. One promotional piece sized no larger than 5.5 x 8.5 may be displayed with your portfolio. Please collect your portfolio after the Cocktail and Autograph Party at 6:00 p.m. SCBWI cannot be held responsible for damaged or torn materials and/or portfolios not picked up at that time. See the portfolio size and formatting guidelines and download the Illustrator Showcase Release Form in the Illustrators’ Lounge. Grand Prize winner will be promoted on the Midsouth SCBWI regional webpage, in the Midsouth monthly newsletter and on our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky, with prominent posts under the hashtag #kidlitart. Bring your portfolio and Illustrator Portfolio Release Form to the conference. Portfolios are not submitted in advance.
NOTE: You must sign the Illustrator Portfolio Release Form to participate in the showcase. Download it on this page.
Face-to-Face Paid Portfolio Critiques ($85)
Have your art critiqued by an art director for an additional fee of $85. To be scheduled for an individual paid portfolio critique, please check Face to Face Portfolio Critique when you register online. Space is limited, so paid portfolio critiques will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once space is filled, the option to register for a critique will disappear from the registration site. Conference fees and registration must be received by August 1, 2025, to participate. One paid portfolio critique per attendee. No refunds. Bring your portfolio to the conference. Portfolios are not submitted in advance.
Portfolio Myth Buster Pre-Conference Webinar with Nicole Tugeau, June 18, ($15 for member conference attendees, $30 for non-member conference attendees)
Are you an artist in need of a refresh and update to your portfolio? Are you an illustrator prepping a portfolio to bring to our conference? This webinar is for you and available for a discount to conference attendees. Be sure to select the webinar option during the online registration process.
The webinar will be held June 18, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central time/7:30 p.m. Eastern time via Zoom. It will be recorded and a link to the recording will be available for viewing for 30 days to those who select the webinar option during conference registration. If you register for the conference after the June 18 webinar has taken place, you will still receive the link to view the webinar for up to 30 days.
Nicole Tugeau, agent-owner of T2 Art & Literary Agency, will help you break free from dated portfolio rules and expectations, and break out a portfolio that connects. This interactive discussion will be based on Nicole's experience agenting artists in a competitive marketplace: children's publishing.
NOTE: This webinar does NOT include a portfolio critique, nor will Nicole be providing feedback on individual portfolios during this webinar.
To register for the webinar at the discounted price, select the webinar option during the online conference registration process. Do NOT register for it through the Midsouth website’s Events page. If you do, you’ll pay full price (and possibly risk signing up/paying for it twice!!)
If you register before the date of the webinar (before June 18), the link to join this webinar will appear in your SCBWI Member Home under My Events. The link to view the recording will be emailed to you directly if you register after June 18. Please allow a few days (2-3) before emailing the volunteer Regional Team at [email protected] to request the link so we have time to confirm your registration.
Paid Picture Book Dummy Face-to-Face Critiques ($85-$100)
(Submissions due by July 1, 2025)
Choose Your Own Critiquer $100
Critiquer Chosen for You $85
Illustrators who also write may submit a picture book dummy for an individual manuscript critique. Dummy must be accompanied by a properly formatted manuscript as a PDF no larger than 10MB. See Manuscript Critiques and Submissions page for formatting information. During online registration, you’ll have the option to choose one of the above options. Be sure to register early! Choose-your-own spots fill up especially fast! (NOTE: If a faculty member’s choose-your-own slots are full, it does NOT automatically mean they have no more room left for critiques. The conference committee reserves a specific number of slots with each faculty member for those who don’t choose their own critiquer.)
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: faculty critiquing picture book dummies are NOT art directors. They will be mainly focused on the STORY. Though they are asked to give impressions or thoughts on your illustrations, the bulk of their critique will likely focus on the manuscript text. If you want more feedback specifically on your illustrations, consider purchasing a portfolio critique.
Critiques will be returned to attendees via email a day or two before the conference. This will allow you to read them over and prepare for your 15 minutes with your agent or editor!
For details about manuscript formatting, see the Manuscript Critiques and Submissions page.
Please contact Scott Soeder, Midsouth Illustrator Coordinator, at [email protected] with questions and include the words DUMMY CRITIQUE (all caps) in the subject line.
Send your correctly formatted picture book dummies to [email protected] no later than Tuesday, July 1, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time/10:59 p.m. Central time. (NOTE: We will not be able to swap manuscripts after you’ve sent yours to us. If your manuscript arrives after 11:59 p.m. Eastern time/10:59 p.m. Central time on July 1, you will be informed. This fee is nonrefundable.)
Find a Critique Group or Partner
Due to time and space considerations in our new venue this year, we will not be offering a structured opportunity to do informal peer-to-peer dummy book or portfolio critiques. However, there will be a display table on site for attendees to sign up to be matched after the conference with a critique group or critique partner. You are always welcome (and encouraged) to chat with fellow attendees throughout the conference to see if you can find someone to swap your work with in your free time at the conference, such as after the informal Friday night meet-and-greet.