2026 Critique Carousel

Want the opportunity to put your manuscript in the hands of an acquiring agent or editor? Then SCBWI-MI's Critique Carousel event is for you!

The Critique Carousel is a virtual SCBWI-MI event for members to receive a critique from an acquiring agent or editor. Ten amazing kidlit professionals are lined up for this year’s carousel and they’re looking forward to seeing your work!

Agents participating this year are open to critiquing: 

• Picture book (fiction and nonfiction)
• Picture book dummy
• Chapter book
• Middle grade (fiction and nonfiction)
• Young adult (fiction and nonfiction)
• Graphic novel (fiction and nonfiction)
• Novels- in-verse 
• Portfolio review (illustrations)

Registration Fees: $55 for Premium Members; $75 for Preview Members

***The Critique Carousel is open to Michigan members exclusively (for early registration) on September 19th at 8:00 a.m. after which it opens to all regions starting at 8:00 a.m. on September 20th.***

Be sure to choose the agent or editor who is the best fit for your work (see faculty bios below). Participants may submit only one manuscript/portfolio/dummy to one professional.

Your chosen agent or editor is expected to complete your critique and the Critique Carousel Coordinator will email the completed critique to you on or before December 8, 2026. Please be patient and kind as the event is run entirely by volunteers, and while we love doing it, we do have other jobs and commitments. 

Your chosen agent or editor is also expected to be open to ONE submission from you for six months after this program. Submission instructions will be included via email with your completed critique.

Please Note: Participating in the Critique Carousel is a two-step process:

NOTE: You must be signed in to the SCBWI website as a member or a preview member in order to register.

1. Registration:

Register for your chosen agent or editor on this website, beginning September 19, 2026 at 8 AM (ET) for Michigan residents and September 20, 2026 at 8 AM (ET) for all other regions. Deadline for registration - 11 PM (ET) on September 30, 2026.

***You must click "Purchase" at the bottom of the registration page after you choose your faculty member. If you were not directed to a page to pay for your critique and you did not receive a payment confirmation after you paid, then you did not register. Please contact Jodi McKay ([email protected]) if that happens.***

2. Submit your materials for critique:

Once you’ve successfully registered, you’ll submit your manuscript/portfolio for critique via a Google Form. The link to the Google Form will be provided to you on the "Events" section of your member home page. (It is NOT in your confirmation email).

To find the link for submitting your materials - Go to your member home page. Click on the My Events tab. You should see a tile labeled "Registration" with the name of your chosen agent/editor listed below. Click on the "Meeting Info" button. The link to the submission form is on that page. (Email submissions will NOT be accepted.) If you have issues with the form, please contact SCBWI-MI's Critique Carousel Coordinator, Wendy BooydeGraaff at [email protected].

We check all submitted materials against the registration list (i.e. Name, payment, agent/editor chosen). Deadline to submit materials - 11:59 PM (ET) on October 1, 2026. Please honor these deadlines so we have enough time to get the materials to our critiquing professionals.

***There are no refunds for this event. Please be sure to submit your manuscript or portfolio in the correct format (click HERE for submission guidelines) by the deadline.***

If you have other questions, please check out the Critique Carousel Info posted below, or contact Wendy at [email protected].