Created December 11, 2024 by Sarah Diamond
SCBWI is proud to announce the winners of the Work-in-Progress Award for manuscripts in five categories, the Don Freeman Illustration Grant in two categories, and the Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award.
2024 Work-in-Progress Winners
There was steep competition in this year's Work-in-Progress Award, with a submission pool of over a thousand manuscripts. This award was created to assist children’s book writers in the completion of a specific project currently not under contract.
Picture Book:
"Mateo's Zapatos" by Sarah Diaz-Bastin
Middle Grade:
"A Garden Lost" by Shanna Upchurch
Young Adult:
"Swallow the Sun" by Amy Sayle
Nonfiction:
"Explore the Deep Sea From A to Z" by Jacquie Sewell
Underrepresented Voices:
"Fabulous Filipino Americans: 25 Influential and Inspiring Filipino Americans" by Lillie Pardo
The winners will have their manuscripts promoted in the SCBWI exclusive Winner's Showcase, which is shared with a hand-selected list of agents and editors who are searching for new clients. Good luck to our talented winners, and to all SCBWI members who plan to query in the new year.
Don Freeman Grant
The Don Freeman Grant enables two talented artists to further develop their illustration work in the picture book genre. The winner of the Published category is Julia Vasileva for the picture book dummy "Lewis & Lou" and the winner of the Pre-published category is Jason McIntosh for the picture book dummy "Oliver Bye."
Julia and Jason will each receive a check for $1,000 to help in the completion of their latest project.
Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award
Congratulations to Victoria Winterhalter, this year's winner of the Karen Cushman Late Bloomer Award. This award was created to nurutre the career of an author over the age of 50 who has never been traditionally published.
Victoria Winterhalter won for the manuscript "When We Were Enemies", a young adult novel about a young aspiring radio broadcaster in 1940s New York who is labeled an "enemy alien" due to her Italian heritage.
Final judge and award founder Karen Cushman said, "I like the focus on Italians in the US during WW2, the unexpected and well-handled present tense, and the emphasis on radios during the war, especially for young people. Fran realizes her words can make a difference. I applaud her.”
In addition to inclusion in the SCBWI Winner's Showcase, Victoria will also receive a $500 prize and free tuition to any in-person SCBWI conference.