Liz Conrad Scholarship Award
In memoriam of our dear friend, Liz Conrad, who created many wonderful children’s books, the Southern Breeze chapter of SCBWI has established a merit-based award for our regional illustrators. This award has been a part of Southern Breeze since 2009.
Sponsored by the Southern Breeze Region of SCBWI (Georgia, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle), the Liz Conrad Award is given annually to one promising illustrator who is an SCBWI member. This year we are opening submissions to any SCBWI member who lives in or follows the Southern Breeze Region. Click to learn more about the scholarship fund.
Judges are industry professionals qualified to critique the entries. For this year, our judge is Mallory Grigg.
ANNUAL APPLICATION PERIOD November 15th, 2024 - January 15th, 2025
The Liz Conrad Award will be given to one promising illustrator in the children’s book field and will provide:
*Tuition for the Southern-Breeze regional conference
*Review comments from the Judge determining the recipient of the Award
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
One of Liz’s many attributes was her effort to help others achieve success. In that spirit, we hope that participation in this process will give every applicant the opportunity to add effective pieces to their portfolio and achieve success in the industry. In that spirit, applicants are encouraged to work on these pieces throughout the year. The criteria is as follows:
Applicants shall create three (3) consecutive illustrations showing a narrative sequence. Illustrators are encouraged to take a familiar story and create their own way of depicting it. You can create your own story to illustrate, but make sure a potential client can determine these things:
• What was this made for?
• How is it functioning as an illustration?
• What does this image convey?
By using a familiar story within the public domain, illustrators can show a novel take on something that has been done before. This makes for an effective portfolio piece, when an art director can recognize the story and be wowed by your unique take on it.
The judge will look for images that tell a visual story or incident with clarity and nuance. The images should reflect a range and progression of mood and emotion. The narrative qualities of the submission will be considered, as will the effectiveness of the design and composition of the image.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
**You must be a current SCBWI member of the Southern Breeze Region to submit.
**Submissions due by 11:59 p.m. on January 15th. (The winner will be announced during the Spring Conference)
**Title the PDF as follows: last name_first name.pdf (e.g. baker_sarah.pdf)
**Submit one multi-page PDF file containing your 3 - 4 images. (Maximum file size 20 MB)
**Each page will include one piece of art
**The submission will consist of either three images, without text.
**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 – OR –
Black and white, intended for a middle grade book for 8- to 11-year-olds
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The application window opens November 15th of each year. The deadline for submissions is January 15th, Midnight EST.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
CONGRATS TO OUR PREVIOUS WINNERS:
2023-2024 Steph Calvert
2022-2023 Violet Tobacco
2021-2022 Tiffany Harvey
2020-2021 Taylor Ackerman
2019-2020 Rebecca Gunn
2018-2019 Chasity Hampton
2017-2018 Laura Moss
2016-2017 Jason Bradley Rollins
2015-2016 ISO, contact Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org
2014-2015 ISO, contact Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org
2013-2014 ISO, contact Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org
2012-2013 ISO, contact Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org
2011-2012 Shanda McCloskey
2010-2011 ISO, contact Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org
2009-2010 ISO, contact Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
FAQs
Q. Is the competition open to everyone – published and pre-published?
A. Yes! This is open to anyone who is a current SCBWI Southern Breeze member, whether you are published or pre-published.
Q. Do the three images have to tell a complete story?
A. No, your three images can portray a smaller moment within a bigger story.
If you have any questions please email the Southern Breeze Illustrator Coordinator at