Frequently Asked Questions

The Attendance Fee gives you access to three Compass Quest industry professional panels (you'll attend one live on Friday, April 10th at 7 PM CDT, and receive recordings of all three), plus a seat at a table with one of our Adventure Guides on Saturday, April 11th, at either 9 AM CDT or 1:30 PM CDT, which includes light refreshments. You'll also have the opportunity to submit a query above the slush pile to all of our faculty, both online and in-person!

If you prefer to attend Online instead of In-Person, head over to our 2026 SCBWI-IL Spring Thaw - ONLINE Event.

Of course you can! But you will need to pay both registration fees separately.

On the day of the event, you'll want to bring eight copies of your Pitch Package. A Pitch Package includes one page with three pitches or loglines of current works-in-progress (WIPs), and then the first 250 words of those three WIPs or an illustration or group of illustrations. While we'd love for the first 250 words of everyone's WIPs to fit on a single page, we understand that it doesn't always work out. But please do not exceed 250 words.

It is very important that you come prepared with eight copies of your Pitch Package (one page with three pitches or loglines of current works-in-progress (WIPs), and then the first 250 words or illustrations of those three WIPs. We do not have the facilities to print these copies for you, and it helps everyone at the table to be able to read along with you and refer to your 250 words while feedback is being given.

Illustration notes do not count towards the 250 words, but we do ask that you keep them to a minimum and only include illustration notes that are absolutely necessary.

From anywhere on the SCBWI website, go to 'Member Home' in the top right corner, then select 'My Events' from across the top of the page. Scroll down to find your selections!

You have the opportunity to submit above-the-slush-pile queries to all of our Spring Thaw faculty! Of course, make sure the faculty accepts your genre first. We will send emails out with all the details and deadlines, after the event.

Simply go to our Bonfire campaign and take your pick! A small portion of every sale goes directly back to network programming. The shirts feature our winning Masthead design on the front, by Dave Linne, and our winning Story Sprout on the back, by

You may, but be sure there are seats available with the Compass Quest or the Adventure Guide you'd like to switch to. First, visit the SBWI website and go to 'Member Home' in the top right corner. Select 'My Events' from across the top of the page. Scroll down to the selection you'd like to change and click the three dots all the way to the right and select Unregister. Now, return to the Event homepage, click the green, Register for Event, scroll down to the selection and choose a new one, then click the bottom right, Book a Seat button. If you have any issues, please send an email to [email protected]