SCBWI-MI Mentorship Program

Mentorship applications will open in January of 2026. Applicants will submit a synopsis and ten pages of their manuscript. An anonymous team of judges will select the top three applications, and Ms. Chari will choose the mentorship recipient! The winner will work with Ms. Chari over the course of 2026 and receive a "Golden Ticket" to submit their mentorship project to an acquiring editor or agent. ⭐The September Critique Carousel is a great time to get feedback on your work to prepare for this incredible opportunity! ⭐

Penelope Dullaghan is an accomplished, acclaimed artist/illustrator with a propensity for expressing joy through form and color. She works in children’s publishing, editorial, and advertising, and dabbles extravagantly in any medium she can find — especially printmaking, paint & cut paper. No matter the method, though, she creates images that are distinguished by simplicity and guided by curiosity. 🖌️Penelope works from her studio in Indianapolis, where she lives with her writer husband and artist-in-training teen.