Mentorship with Shawna J.C. Tenney and KayLynn Flanders

The SCBWI Utah/Southern Idaho Mentorship Program was created to help writers polish their manuscripts with the help of established professionals in their field. Over a period of six months, mentees will receive critique and career advice from their mentors to help them succeed in the world of children’s publishing.

This mentorship is open to everyone.

Important Dates:

 Application Period:                       November 1-30, 2025

 Announcement of Mentees:                  December 15, 2025

 Critiques Sent for those not selected:     December 15, 2025

 Mentorship Period:                    January 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026

Cost:

 Application Fee (includes a critique if you are not selected as a mentee):

• For SCBWI members: $50
• For non-members: $65

 Registration Fee (your application fee will be applied toward the cost):

• For SCBWI members: $425 for the selected mentee. 
• For non-members: $450 for the selected mentee.

Eligibility:

Applicants who have not yet been published or signed a book or illustration contract in the category they are applying for are eligible (for example, published illustrators, who haven’t been published as an author are eligible to apply for the PB author mentorship). Agented authors and illustrators are welcome to apply if they are otherwise eligible.

Program Description:

Writers interested in the program will register, pay a $50 application fee for SCBWI members, or a $65 application fee for non-members, and submit a completed questionnaire and writing sample between November 1 and November 30, 2025 (see below for more information about the writing sample). The mentor will choose one mentee based on the application package. The chosen mentee will pay a non-refundable $425 registration fee, for SCBWI members, or $450 for non-members (the application fee will apply toward this amount).

Applicants who are not selected will receive a critique of the work they submitted from the mentor for their category. These critiques will be sent back to applicants by December 15, 2025. Because the mentors will be providing critiques, the number of applicants for each mentorship will be capped.

The selected mentees will be announced on December 15, 2025, and the mentorship period will run for six months, from January 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026.

The chosen mentee will receive four meetings with their mentor. These meetings can be in person, by phone, or by video conference. The mentor will set individual goals for the span of the mentorship based on the needs of their mentee. This will include at least fifty pages of manuscript critique for novelists, three picture book manuscripts (including the one you applied with) for PB authors, one full picture book dummy for author/illustrators, or up to sixteen illustration pieces from your portfolio for illustrators. It could also include revisions and/or query letters, depending on the needs of the mentee. The mentor will also give career advice, as needed, and be available for questions by email. The mentee will turn in additional pages or revisions as scheduled with the mentor throughout the six month period of the mentorship.

How to apply:

• Complete the registration form below (SCBWI members must first log in to receive the member price). Pay the $50 or $65 application fee, payable through the registration form.
• For Authors, click HERE to download the questionnaire and fill it in. For Author/Illustrators or Illustrators, click HERE to download the questionnaire and fill it in. You can fill in the answers on the document using Word or Pages (or print it, write in the answers, and scan the pages).
• Email your completed questionnaire in .doc or .pdf format and your writing sample in .doc format to [email protected] between November 1-30, 2025. Please put your name and the category of your work in the subject line (example: Jane Doe, Picture Book Author submission).

Writing Sample Submissions:

All submissions should be double-spaced in black, 12 pt Times New Roman font with 1” margins. Be sure to number pages in the header and include a cover page with title, author name, and contact information (cover page will not affect overall page count). Writing samples should be submitted as a .doc document. Please note that your submissions must be for the project you plan to work on with the mentor.

Picture Books:

• Text only: Please submit one completed picture book manuscript. Manuscripts should be text only (no dummies) but may include illustrator notes.
• PB dummy: Please submit four spreads of a picture book dummy (which may include one finished illustration if you choose) in .jpg format. [Note: please also submit the text of the picture book in a Word document. This will help Shawna make her decision. However, you will not be getting a critique of the text.]
• PB illustration portfolio: Please submit four illustrations in .jpg format.

Middle Grade and Young Adult Novels:

• Please submit up to the first 10 pages of your project. As part of the same file, also submit a 1-2 page synopsis of your project (synopses may be single-spaced).

File Names:

Please name your files as follows:

• Questionnaire: [First Name]_[Last Name]_[Mentorship you're applying for].doc (PB or MGYA)
• Writing Sample: [First Name]_[Last Name]_[Title].doc
• Illustrations/Book Dummy images: [First Name]_[Last Name]_1.jpg (number the subsequent images with 2, 3, 4)

If you have questions, please contact Janet Johnson, the Mentorship Coordinator at [email protected]