Two Impact and Legacy Fund Awards to Open on July 1

We are thrilled to announce that the Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World and the ILF’s Encouragement Fund are now open for submissions. No SCBWI membership required.

Both the Freedman Award and Encouragement Fund will stay open for submissions until September 15th, 2024.

You can find submission guidelines for the awards on their websites, linked above.

Russell Freedman Award

In honor of the late Russell Freedman, Newbery Award winner and one of the modern masters of narrative nonfiction, we are happy to announce the opening of The Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World.

The winner will receive a prize of $2500 plus $500 to purchase copies of the winning book for distribution to schools and libraries, recognition in all SCBWI publications, and a virtual forum to give a speech before the entire children’s book community. Any nonfiction book traditionally published for children or young adults, released between January 1 and December 31, 2024, is eligible. If both an author and illustrator are listed on the book cover, the prize will be split between them.


The Encouragement Fund

The Encouragement Fund will provide three grants of $2,000 each to children’s book authors, artists or translators who have traditionally published at least one children's book. Generously supported by Stephen Fraser, a veteran editor and now one of our industry’s most respected agents at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, this grant reflects Stephen’s commitment to supporting talent. 

Stephen understands that writing children’s books can be a tough road, and he states that his hope is that this fund will “spoil its recipients with encouragement,” combatting the reality of rejections, financial hardships or emotional discouragement. His aim is that this fund will help create an environment of support in which creative people can flourish. Stephen knows that encouragement comes in many forms. As such, the grants have no strings attached and may be used however the recipient sees fit. In addition to the financial grant, recipients may also take advantage of Stephen’s offer to meet with them for career advice or feedback.

This year, the grant is exclusively for creators working on middle-grade fiction. Submitters must have one book of any genre traditionally published and must be working on a work of middle-grade fiction.