Critique-a-Palooza 2026

*THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION* Registration officially opens on Friday, May 15, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. MDT. Please do not attempt to register before that date, even if this page intermittently appears to be live and accepting registrations. If you try to register before this day and time, the process may fail and/or your registration may have to be deleted.

Get professional feedback on your manuscript or illustration portfolio from an agent, editor, or art director who works in children's publishing!

We've lined up 6 editors, 5 agents, and 1 art director. You can choose from the following options:

LIVE GROUP CRITIQUE SESSIONS OVER ZOOM

$60 member price / $85 non-member price

Held every Tues/Wed/Thurs/Sat from June 2nd to 20th.

Writers: Bring a complete picture book up to 1,000 words, the first 1,000 words of your novel, or a 1,000-word query or pitch. Illustrators: Bring a complete picture book dummy (PDF format) or an illustration portfolio that includes up to 20 illustrations (in a single, multi-page PDF). Your work will be read aloud, and the faculty member will offer a verbal critique. Each participant will have 15 minutes, and each session will last just over 2 hours, featuring a total of 8 live critiques. Your manuscript would be due one week prior to your live session, in a Google folder sent to you by email.

*168 live critique spots available*

Limit TWO per attendee

ATTEND GROUP CRITIQUE SESSION AS AN OBSERVER ONLY

$10 member price / $20 non-member price

There will also be 5 silent observer spots available per session. You can often learn just as much, if not more, from someone else's critique as you can learn from your own.

*5 seats available per session*

Limit TWO per attendee

WRITTEN CRITIQUES

$75 member price / $100 non-member price

Writers: submit a complete picture book manuscript, up to 10 pages of a middle-grade or young adult novel, one complete picture book dummy, or up to 10 pages of a graphic novel, following our Manuscript Formatting Guidelines. Illustrators: submit a PDF illustration portfolio consisting of up to 10 total pages and up to 20 individual illustrations, with a file size up to 10 MB. Files must be received via our Google form by June 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Our faculty members will provide written feedback using official SCBWI critique forms, which our volunteers will email back to you by July 1, 2026.

*60 written critiques available*

Limit ONE per attendee

SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITY

All 12 faculty members will remain open to queries from any and all Critique-a-Palooza participants through October 31, 2026. Limit: one submission per faculty member.

YES you may sign up for two live critique sessions AND two silent observer sessions AND one written critique, depending on availability.

NOTE: All registrations are final. If your manuscript is not received by the deadline, your registration fee may be forfeit.