2023-2024 DEI Grant Winners are:
Own Voices Illustrator: Nancy S. Lee
Own Voices Author: Iris Quiroga
Own Voices Author: To-wen Tseng
Grant winners were announced at the February 17, 2024 Meeting.
Grant recipients receive complimentary admission to a San Diego SCBWI Intensive or MayFest.
Grant Judges were:
Erika DiPasquale, Editor, HarperCollins Children's
Esther Cajahuaringa, Editor, Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers
2024-2025 DEI Grant application information
The 2024-2025 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Grant committee is gearing up for another great year. Applications are available on our website beginning September 4 and are due by noon on December 16. There are two grant categories for artists and two categories for authors. SCBWI San Diego members may apply for only ONE of the four grants.
There are two Diverse Characters Grants, one for authors and one for illustrators.
Each Diverse Character Grant is open to unpublished San Diego resident SCBWI members whose work supports equity, inclusion, and diversity in children’s publishing by writing stories (Author Grant) or by creating illustrations (Illustrator Grant) featuring a diverse cast of characters.
There are two Equity and Inclusion Grants, one for authors and one for illustrators.
Each Equity and Inclusion Grant is open to unpublished San Diego resident SCBWI premium members who identify as a member of an underrepresented group, including, but not limited to, race/ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship, veteran status, and religion. (If not, please apply for the Diverse Character Author Grant.)
This years judge is: Saba Sulaiman, Senior Agent, Talcott Notch Literary Services. She will be our speakers at the March 1, 2025 meeting when the winners will be announced.
Grant recipients will receive complimentary registration to the San Diego SCBWI MayFest conference on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (SCBWI San Diego reserves the right not to award a grant.)
Grants for Authors:
Diverse Characters Author Grant 2024-25
This grant is open to unpublished San Diego SCBWI members whose work supports Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity in children's publishing by writing stories featuring a diverse cast of characters. Members may apply for only ONE grant. (SCBWI San Diego reserves the right not to award a grant.)
Grant Form Link activated now.
Equity and Inclusion Author Grant 2024-25
This grant is open to unpublished San Diego SCBWI members who identify as a member of an underrepresented group including, but not limited to, LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, neurodiversity and/or other disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious group. (If not, please apply for the Diverse World Writer Grant.) Members may apply for only ONE grant. (SCBWI San Diego reserves the right not to award a grant.)
Grant Form Link activated now.
Grants for Illustrators:
Diverse Characters Illustrator Grant 2024-25
This grant is open to unpublished San Diego SCBWI members whose work supports Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity in children's publishing by creating illustrations with a diverse cast of characters. Members may apply for only ONE grant. (SCBWI San Diego reserves the right not to award a grant.)
Grant Form Link activated now.
Equity and Inclusion Illustrator Grant 2024-25
This grant is open to unpublished San Diego SCBWI members who identify as a member of an underrepresented group including, but not limited to, LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, neurodiversity and/or other disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious group. (If not, please apply for the Diverse World Illustrator Grant.) Members may apply for only ONE grant. (SCBWI San Diego reserves the right not to award a grant.)
Grant Form Link activated now.
Important Information:
The recipient of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Grant must wait one year before applying for an Equity and Inclusion Grant a second time.
A person may receive a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Grant no more than two times.
The San Diego SCBWI reserves the right to NOT grant an award in any of the grant categories.
Judge Bio
Saba Sulaiman, Senior Agent, Talcott Notch Literary Services
Our judge for each of the grants this year will be Saba Sulaiman, a Senior Agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services, a boutique agency located in Milford, CT. She holds a BA in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies from Wellesley College and an MA from the University of Chicago, where she studied modern Persian literature. Being an immigrant who is constantly negotiating her own identity and sense of belonging in a place she now calls “home,” she is committed to championing books by writers from marginalized communities with compelling stories to tell; stories that demonstrate the true range of perspectives that exist in this world and address urgent and often under explored issues in both fiction and non-fiction with veracity and heart.