SCBWI California: San Diego

Welcome to SCBWI San Diego! SCBWI San Diego members live in San Diego County or Imperial County and write, illustrate, or translate stories for children, ranging from picture books to novels for young adults. Our membership includes published and pre-published writers, illustrators, and translators, both traditionally and independently published. We also welcome visiting SCBWI members from any other region worldwide.

Our San Diego Region DEI winners will attend our MayFest Conference for free and each will receive a critique from the faculty of their choice.

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Crystal Kite Awards recognize outstanding books published in the previous calendar year, as voted by SCBWI members. For the 2026 awards, voting is from June 1 to June 22 (Round 1) and June 26 to July 17 (Final Round). Winners will be announced on July 24, 2026. For detailed guidelines updates, and to vote login to the official SCBWI website.

This award is open to authors and illustrators of Hispanic/Latinx/Ibero-American heritage who are early in their career (1-3 traditionally published books) or not yet traditionally published. The winners will receive $500 along with a one-year SCBWI membership, and a coaching session to further their creative career.