Opportunities for Artists
Come join us for community, fun, and food!
Schmooze Info from Livna Genchel and Co-IC Lisa Venditelli Karmel
In-person Schmoozes hosted by Livna Genchel to RSVP or Ask Questions email Livna at [email protected]
Calling all Illustrators! Deadline Coming Soon!
Bologna Scholarship Is open until September 30
https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/home/878.html
Each year, a panel of judges will review submissions to this grant online. One winner will receive a ticket to the Bologna Book Fair, travel fare, and a stipend for accommodations. The winner will have an opportunity to show their portfolios to publishing professionals, display their portfolio at our industry party in Bologna, and attend the prestigious fair.
Congratulations to our 2025 winner, Rashin Kheiriyeh.
middle-grade
Apply for the Bologna Illustrator Scholarship
Submissions open until September 30, 2025.
Submissions can be found on the MY AWARDS tab in your Member Home. Members must be logged in to scbwi.org to access their Member Home.
The submission should consist of three or four images without text that best showcase your portfolio. Your art style and visual story must be appropriate for one of these two specific audiences/book genres (Choose one):
Full color, intended for a picture book for 4 to 7-year-olds
Black and white, intended for a middle grade book for 8 to 11-year-olds
You must be a current SCBWI member to submit.
Tentative Schmooze Schedule for 2025 2026 Season can be subject to change.
Please RSVP if you're coming to [email protected], and hope to see you there!
In person meetups will be:
September 18th - Please join us for our next Schmooze this Thursday, September 18th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm at Hanna's Creamery and Cafe in UTC mall: 4313 La Jolla Village Dr Space 2270, San Diego, CA 92122
January 18, 2026 - TBA
March 21, 2026 - TBA
Illustrator demo October 16th via Zoom.
About the Demo Class
Join Olga for a hands-on demo where she’ll walk through her latest mixed-media process. Using watercolor, gouache, colored pencils, and stencils, she’ll demonstrate how her illustrations come together step by step. Olga will share examples of past work, encourage you to paint along, and chat about ways to adapt these techniques for other surfaces like wood panels, boards, or even digital. It’s a chance to explore, experiment, and create together!
Meet the Artist: Olga Tenyakova
Olga Tenyakova is a children’s book illustrator who loves experimenting with watercolor, gouache, ink, and digital tools to create her signature “fairy tale” style. An SCBWI member since 2016, she has illustrated a range of independently published picture books, chapter books, short stories, and poetry collections.
Her recent work includes the Boris Badger picture book series by Michael E. McDevitt. Inspired by heartfelt, magical stories that explore imagination and emotion, Olga strives to create illustrations that connect directly with young readers while helping authors bring their stories to life.
In addition to illustration, Olga teaches art both in-person and online, working with mixed-age groups as well as individual students. She also serves as an art judge for the San Diego County Fair and is a guest lecturer at local colleges and universities.
She’ll be sharing her process and techniques in an upcoming online demo class.
#scbwiDrawThis Prompts
The SCBWI website is updated monthly with the latest DrawThis Prompt. Check it out here: https://www.scbwi.org/awards-and-grants/for-illustrators/draw-this.
Featured Illustrator
The SCBWI Featured Illustrator is also available on the website. Check it out here: https://www.scbwi.org/featured-illustrator.
FYI- The Featured Illustrator page has the submission information at the bottom if you scroll down. The "APPLICATION PROCESS" section has the instructions and email address.
Apply for the Narrative Art Award
The Narrative Art Award opens to submissions in the fall. https://www.scbwi.org/awards-and-grants/for-illustrators/narrative-art-award.
#scbwiArtober is coming this fall....get ready to have some arting fun!
Also check your Member Home News feeds for messages about the programs and how to apply.
Any illustrator interested in creating art for our monthly chapter newsletter, please contact Lisa at [email protected] or at [email protected].
MayFest 2026 Illustrator Contest
Design our website banner for MayFest 2026! The winner will be attributed to our website–great for publicity–plus receive free registration to MayFest, San Diego SCBWI’s annual one-day conference.
Watch here for further information sometime after September 2025.