Writers Day Contest
Deadline to enter: April 12, 2026
PRIZE:
The first-place winner in each category will receive a certificate, recognition at Writers & Illustrators Day and in Kite Tales, and a free written critique from one of our faculty members.
CATEGORIES:
– Picture Book (text only, no illustration or dummies)
– Middle Grade novel (first 10 pages)
– Young Adult novel (first 10 pages)
– Other: Non-Fiction book or Other (first 10 pages) / Poetry (10 pages)
If there are fewer than five submissions in a category or judges feel no submission deserves recognition, no award will be given. The number of awards given in each category will be roughly 20 percent of the total number of qualifying entries in each category with the cap set at three per category.
ELIGIBILITY:
1. You must register for Writers Day 2026. (If registration isn’t open at the time of entry, please send confirmation of your registration as soon as possible.)
2. The submitted manuscript must not be under contract for publication at the time of application.
3. Manuscripts that have won first-place in any other SCBWI-L.A. contest are ineligible. (*If your manuscript wins first place at Writers Day, it will be ineligible for all future SCBWI-L.A. contests.)
4. You may enter ONE unpublished manuscript in ONE category only.
5. Manuscripts with multiple authors are permitted.
CONTEST RULES:
Submissions not in compliance with the following rules WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Please read carefully.
1. Format your manuscript as follows:
– 1″ margin on all sides
– Font: Times New Roman, 12 point
– Double-spaced
– Header including PAGE NUMBER AND TITLE ONLY. Do not include your name or any other information on your manuscript.
2. Save your manuscript as a PDF file named with SURNAME_TITLE. Example: Carle_Very Hungry Caterpillar
3. Send your submission in an email with the subject line Writers Contest 2026 to: [email protected]
4. In the body of your email include: your name as you’d like it to appear on any recognition, your phone number, email address, title of your manuscript, and entry category.
5. Attach your manuscript to the email as a PDF file.
6. After you’ve registered for Writers Day, you must also send a copy of your registration (pdf, screen shot, or photo of e-mail confirmation all acceptable) to [email protected].
7. In announcing the award, we may wish to publish a brief, attributed selection from the winning manuscript(s) in our Kite Tales blog or on our website. If you do NOT agree to this, please state so in the body of your email.
8. All entries must be emailed by 11:59pm (PST) on April 12, 2026. You will receive an auto-response indicating that we have received your entry.
Writers contest winners will be announced at Writers & Illustrators Day on May 31, 2026. Free written critiques of winning manuscripts will be coordinated via email after the event.
Judges will remain anonymous.
GOOD LUCK!