Conference Scholarships

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 1, 2024

Texas’s five SCBWI regional chapters are excited to support our artistic community by offering an All Y'all Illustrator Scholarship. This scholarship is for an illustrator starting out in the industry and wanting to take the leap to attend the ALL Y'ALL Texas conference and advance their career! Please see the detailed parameters below, and we look forward to your submission! 

The winner will receive a scholarship for both in-person days of the All Y’all all Texas SCBWI Writers and Illustrators Conference to be held in person May 4-5, 2023. This includes all the keynotes and breakout sessions (does not include critiques, pitches, portfolio reviews, the networking dinner, or travel expenses).

Deadline to apply is APRIL 1, 2024. There is no submission fee. Only one submission is allowed per person. The winner will be announced in April. If you plan on attending the conference and want to sign up for a critique, pitch, or portfolio review, you can register for the conference and a critique when registration opens. Any scholarship winners who’ve already registered will be reimbursed for the cost of the conference (not including critiques, pitches, portfolio reviews, or the networking dinner).

Please follow the link to the google form to submit your application>>

• Eligible applicants must be un-agented and traditionally pre-published. 
• To share your illustration work, you can either share your illustration website or attach 3 samples of work to the submission form. 
• If submitting images, please name them as follows: firstnamelastname-image1-3 e.g: SandraBoynton-image1 
• Acceptable files are: pdfs or jpgs, no larger than 2 mb each. 
• the work doesn’t necessarily need to be children’s market artwork but must be appropriate for the children’s market (PB through YA)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 1, 2024

Texas’s five SCBWI regional chapters are united in our support for diverse creators of children’s literature. We are happy to offer scholarships to two creators from diverse and traditionally underrepresented groups within children’s publishing. Submissions are anonymous and judged on the creator’s skill with their craft. 

Winners are awarded in 2 categories:

• Writing: Picture books, early readers, chapter books, MG or YA (fiction and non-fiction)
• Illustration

The winner for each category will receive a scholarship for both in-person days of the All Y’all all Texas SCBWI Writers and Illustrators Conference to be held in person May 4-5, 2024. This includes all the keynotes and breakout sessions (does not include critiques, pitch/consultation, or travel expenses).

Deadline to apply is by midnight CST on APRIL 1. Winners will be announced on April 16th.  There is no submission fee. Only one submission is allowed per person. If you plan on attending the conference and want to sign up for a critique, pitch, or portfolio review, you can register for the conference and a critique when registration opens. Any scholarship winners who’ve already registered will be reimbursed for the cost of the conference via check (not including critiques, pitches, or portfolio reviews).

Eligibility

Scholarships are open to premium SCBWI members who identify as part of groups that are traditionally underrepresented in children’s publishing. This includes but is not limited to race/ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity (including gender expression), socioeconomic status, caste, geography, citizenship, body size, veteran status, and religion.

Submission Guidelines

Writers prepare one (1) Word document that includes the following:

• 10 page writing sample from your manuscript formatted with standard formatting rules. This page can be the first page or a representative page from elsewhere in the manuscript. Please make sure the title and category are included on the first page of the document but NOT your name. Please note the submission itself does not have to center around diverse identities. 
• Name the file with a keyword(s) from the title of your work and your category, e.g.: DragonMystery-Novel.doc . Do not include your name in the file name.  

Illustrators prepare the following:

• One to three (1-3) illustration sample from the work in progress, either a portfolio piece or illustrations from a picture book dummy (not the full dummy), no more than 5MB in size. If you’re an author/illustrator, please submit a 3-page dummy.
• Name your image(s) with a keyword(s) from the title of your work and your category, e.g.: GoodnightMoon-Illustration

Please make sure the title and category are included on the first page of the document but NOT your name.

Deadline: Submissions are due by midnight CST on APRIL 1. Winners will be announced on April 16th.  

SUBMISSION FORM >>

Questions? Need help submitting the application due to a disability? Email ascbwi-diversity @ outlook.com (remove the spaces around the @).

Scholarship winners may not be announced before conference registration opens. If you want a critique at the conference, you should register early. If you don’t win and can’t pay for the conference on your own, you can request a refund until April 4, 2024. 

We look forward to getting your submission. Good luck!

Application deadline is March 1, 2024. 

The Carmen Oliver On-the-Verge Annual Austin SCBWI Conference Scholarship is awarded each year to a children’s book writer who has the passion and desire to pursue a career in this industry. It is designed to give the winning writer a good foundation from which they can continue to learn and grow as a children’s book author.

In Carmen’s words: "As a former Austin SCBWI ARA, I saw and learned firsthand how important it is to be investing in people and how the opportunities to study craft strengthens you as a better writer and a better person. I’m a published author because of SCBWI and a large part of that apprenticeship was a direct result of attending Austin SCBWI conferences and my volunteer leadership roles in the chapter. I guess you could say I grew up and was raised by SCBWI. Along the way, I had many SCBWI members invest in me and coupled with my hard work and determination to get my stories right — I made it. 

"In my early years, my family and I struggled financially. I wasn’t allowed to work in the United States for over eleven years until my immigration papers were processed. It was a very difficult time in my life. I felt helpless. I cut back where I could to find the dollars to attend as many writing/publishing SCBWI conferences as possible but there were many times where I had to let go of opportunities because I couldn’t afford to go. We needed the money elsewhere. My hope is that this scholarship will encourage another writer who might be struggling a bit financially to apply and attend the conference. Everybody needs a little help. Everybody needs a friend. And my friends at SCBWI helped me along the way. They were a constant in my life when there were so many uncertainties. This is my chance to give back to the organization that gave me so much. And to help another who might be going through a similar situation or worse."

The recipient receives:

• Full scholarship to our annual conference to be held in person May 4-5, 2024 (does not include critiques, pitch/consultation, or travel expenses)
• Craft and publishing questions answered by Carmen Oliver (author of BEARS MAKE THE BEST BUDDIES series, THE TWILIGHT LIBRARY, BUILDING AN ORCHESTRA OF HOPE, and other titles and Booking Agent & Founder of The Booking Biz) as time permits during 2024.

Please note: This scholarship does not include critiques because we don’t want to put pressure on the winner to perform at a certain level. Our aim is to encourage, lift and guide the writer, so they can have a step in the right direction.

Eligibility

Members and non-members in Texas are eligible. Pre-published, unagented writers only.

Submission Instructions

Please submit via this form>>

If you have any questions or have issues with the submission form, please email ascbwi-diversity @ outlook.com (remove the spaces around the @).

Application deadline is March 1, 2024. 

Scholarship winners will not be announced before conference registration opens. If you want a critique at the conference, you should register early. If you don’t win and can’t pay for the conference on your own, you will be given a full refund.