PAL Speaker Series

1) What is the PAL Speaker Series 

The PAL Speaker Series is a new initiative designed to provide growth opportunities to published authors, author/illustrators, or illustrators to share their expertise with the SCBWI community.

2) The Opportunities

1. Online Webinar: Present a webinar on a topic of your choice that offers value to the local and global SCBWI community. The webinar will be a paid event for attendees, and the presenter will receive a $250 honorarium from SCBWI CA SF/SOUTH.
2. In-Person Proposal to The Huddle, Mountain View: Selected applicants with complementary topics may be grouped by the SCBWI CA SF/SOUTH team into a panel or program of up to three presenters. SCBWI CA SF/SOUTH will submit the joint proposal to The Huddle for consideration. If accepted, presenter compensation will be determined and paid by The Huddle and presentation must be available to the public.

3) Who is Eligible

Applicants must be current SCBWI PAL members residing in California: San Francisco/South region. Each member may submit one application and may be selected for one opportunity in 2027.  Submission of a proposal does not guarantee acceptance. 

4) What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for timely, fresh presentation topics that offer clear value to a professional kidlit audience and have strong appeal to both local and global SCBWI members. Proposals should address a real need, question, skill, or area of interest that attendees would be willing to pay to learn more about.

Online presentations will be approximately 60 minutes, with a 15-minute Q&A afterwards. 

5) Compensation: Selected presenters for online-webinars will receive an honorarium of $250 from SCBWI CA SF/SOUTH and promotional support through regional and global SCBWI channels. Webinars will be offered as paid programming at $15 for SCBWI members and $25 for non-members, with proceeds supporting future SCBWI CA SF/SOUTH in-person programming.

For The Huddle, presenter compensation will be determined and paid by The Huddle if the proposal is accepted.

6) Submission Guidelines: Each PAL member may submit only one PRESENTATION PROPOSAL to the SCBWI CA: SF/SOUTH Team, by Thursday November 5th 2026. The regional team will notify applicants only if their proposal has been selected by December 1st 2026, or as opportunities arise that match their interests. The PAL Speaker Application is available in the October 2026 regional newsletter.