Mentorship Contest 2025: Middle Grade Authors
PRIZE
Six-month mentorship with author Sherry Shahan. The mentorship will include six months of interaction. This will likely consist of twice monthly emails and a monthly Zoom check-in, though Sherry is flexible and open to whatever suits the mentee’s schedule and lifestyle.
ABOUT THE MENTORSHIP
The contest is open to middle grade authors in the earlier stage of their career. Sherry is interested in “assisting a hard-working, devoted writer on their journey of telling a compelling story in the most effective way.”
The mentorship will focus on helping guide an author toward completion, revision, or development of a single middle grade manuscript. Sherry says, “That will include working on craft and structure; creating characters with unique, individual voices; choosing language that mirrors each character’s POV; tightening passages that don’t move the story forward; etc.”
ELIGIBILITY
1. You must be a Premium member in good standing of the SCBWI-L.A. or Cen Cal region.
2. Associate or Full members may apply.
3. Limited to one entry per person.
*SCBWI membership levels: PAL (published and listed), Full (published unlisted), Associate (unpublished)
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. DO NOT contact the mentor directly.
2. Applicants not in compliance with the rules or that do not adhere to the application instructions will be disqualified.
3. To ensure fairness to all, no questions will be answered.
CONTEST
Your submission will consist of two parts:
I. Your Biography
Submit a bio that provides background about your writing. Sherry would also like to hear about unusual hobbies or interests, taste in music and movies, and concerns and uncertainties about writing. What else would you want Sherry to know about your writing journey?
II. Your Work
Please submit the first chapter of your middle-grade novel (or novel-in-progress), a one-sentence pitch, and a single page synopsis. Note: The book doesn’t have to be complete.
SUBMISSION
1. Your submission must be emailed with the subject line MENTOR CONTEST to: scbwilacontests@gmail.com
2. In the body of your email include:
– Your current SCBWI member name
– Address
– Phone numbers
– Email address
3. Provide your written answers to the questions in Roman numeral I (above) as a Word attachment. Name your file: LAST NAME_ANSWERS.docx. Example: Smith_Answers.docx
4. Provide samples of your work as described in Roman numeral II (above) as a Word document. Name your file: LAST NAME_MANUSCRIPT.docx. Example: Smith_Manuscript.docx
5. Entries must be received by 11:59pm on 4/23/25.
About Sherry Shahan
Sherry Shahan is published across most genres of children’s books, fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, fiction and nonfiction middle-grade, and YA novels. She’s widely published in children’s and adult magazines and newspapers, such as Highlights, High Five, Boys Life, Cricket, Cobblestone, Backpacker, Los Angeles Times, Country Living, Mother Earth News, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, and others.
Sherry is best known for her MG adventure novels: "Frozen Stiff" (Random House; 100,000+ copies), "Ice Island" (Random House), and "Death Mountain" (Peachtree). School Library Journal said of Death Mountain, “The level of technical details rivals Gary Paulsen’s 'Hatchet'.” "Frozen Stiff" continues to be on America’s “Battle of the Books” list.
She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), taught a creative writing course through UCLA Extension for 10 years, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in Poetry (2024), the Pushcart Prize in Short Fiction (2025), and America’s Best Short Stories (2025). She’s facilitated writing workshops for several SCBWI regions, as well as at schools and public libraries. She was a mentor in the Cen Cal Region under Rebecca Langston-George.
When she isn’t reading, writing, or wandering the globe as a travel journalist, she can be found in a dance studio, studying ballet, jazz, or pole-dancing.