09 Wednesday Mar 2022
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Brenda Scott Royce
SCBWI-L.A. is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2022 Nonfiction Mentorship Contest!
The competition was steep and the submissions enticingly diverse, making the decision a difficult one for mentor Joseph Taylor.
Continue reading15 Wednesday Dec 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Brenda Scott Royce
Writers: Do you have a great idea for a nonfiction project noodling in your brain? A work-in-progress that needs a little nurturing before being sent out into the world? If so, I implore you to consider applying for SCBWI-L.A.’s Nonfiction Mentorship Contest. This amazing opportunity pairs you with a dedicated, experienced mentor for a six-month period that can be absolutely career changing! Past SCBWI-L.A. mentees have landed agents and publishing deals.
The deadline for submissions is January 26 — so you can channel your New Year’s Resolution energy into preparing your submission.
Continue reading10 Friday Dec 2021
Posted in #KTIllustrates, Contests & Grants, Illustrator's Gallery
This year we had a tremendous amount of participation in our #KTIllustrates Contest, with entries inspired by the prompt: “Here you will find the dragon’s secret.” The contest was open to any form (spot, spread or cover design) and in any medium, so long as it kept the interpretation of the prompt as it would apply to children’s books.
The winner is set to receive a gift certificate to ArtSupply Warehouse and will have a feature interview article for Kite Tales coming soon. So let’s give a hand to our winner and two runners up!
Continue reading11 Wednesday Aug 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers Days
by Brenda Scott Royce, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
We’re thrilled to announce this year’s Sue Alexander Grant winner—Christine Van Zandt—for her nonfiction picture book, Butterfly Dreams. The book’s inspiration came in May 2020, when Van Zandt and her daughter bought their first milkweed plant, “unaware that a mother monarch had sent us home with a surprise—actually 26 surprises,” she says. “Soon, our plant was covered in adorable caterpillars. We excitedly watched them grow, . . . until all perished.”
The sad turn of events led Van Zandt to research monarch declines, plant milkweed, and educate others by writing this lyrical story.
Here’s what our judges had to say about her manuscript:
Continue reading23 Wednesday Jun 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Writers Days
Tags
contest winners, middle grade, nonfiction picture book, picture books, SCBWI events, Writers Day 2021, young adult
By Brenda Scott Royce, Contest Coordinator
The event was virtual, but the excitement was still palpable as the winners for the 2021 Writers Day Contest were announced at the end of Writers Day on Saturday, June 12. First place winners in each category (Picture Book, Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Nonfiction/Other) will receive free tuition to next year’s Writer’s Day, as well as a manuscript critique from one of this year’s faculty members. Excerpts from the judges’ comments are included in the list of honorees below. If you’d like to contact any of the winners to request their manuscript or discuss publication, please let us know!
Continue reading30 Friday Apr 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers' Retreat
Tags
call for submission, contest, Nicholas Ponticello, Nick Ponticello, SAG award, submissions, Sue Alexander Grant, Working Writer's Retreat
by Brenda Scott Royce
The 2021 Sue Alexander Grant contest opens today, offering one SCBWI-L.A. writer a guaranteed spot and free tuition to the Working Writers Retreat (to be held virtually this year on October 9). Winning a golden ticket to this always popular event is not the only reason to enter. Since COVID-19 sidelined last year’s event, 2020 winner Nicholas Ponticello will be among the attendees at the 2021 virtual retreat. But winning the prestigious prize has already impacted his career:
Continue reading21 Wednesday Apr 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
contests, Edward Underhill, Joseph Taylor, mentorship, narrative nonfiction, Nicole Maggi, nonfiction, writing
by Edward Underhill
Editor’s update (6/1/21): The deadline for the SCBWI-L.A. 2021 Mentorship Contest has been extended to June 18, 2021! Get your entries in ASAP!
In March 2020, my partner had just moved her work home for the foreseeable future, my day job was suddenly paused while everyone scrambled to set up remote work, and Los Angeles was entering lockdown. With the roads suddenly quiet outside and more time on my hands, I decided to take a risk and submit my newly finished YA novel for the SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest with mentor Nicole Maggi.
12 Friday Mar 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days
Tags
Celia Viramontes, Jim Cox, Virginia Pooler, Wakako Rollinger, Writers Day, Writers Day 2021, writing contest
by Brenda Scott Royce, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” — novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
While our annual SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day will look somewhat different this year (we’ll be meeting virtually!), one thing that hasn’t changed is the contest. As usual, the manuscript contest is open to all who register for the event, and there’s no additional fee to enter. Submissions will be accepted in four categories: Picture Book, Middle Grade novel, Young Adult novel, and Other (which includes non-fiction and poetry). Winners receive a free written critique from one of the Writers Day faculty members PLUS free tuition to Writers Day 2022 (or equivalent). Winners and runners-up will be acknowledged in Kite Tales.
24 Wednesday Feb 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
Always The Almost, Edward Underhill, mentoring, mentors, mentorship, Nicole Maggi, SCBWI community, What They Don't Know
by Nicole Maggi
Last June, I handed in a major rewrite on a write-for-hire project, took a deep breath, and turned my attention to a new venture: the SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship. I had spent several weeks earlier in the spring selecting the recipient of the Mentorship, and I was excited to get to work with my mentee, pre-published author Edward Underhill.
Over the course of the summer, as the pandemic grew worse and the world darkened, and my own creative spark began to dim, working with Ed was a beautiful bright spot, like a brilliant star in a moonless sky. His novel, a joyous trans coming-of-age rom-com, was a true escape every time I opened the manuscript.
11 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in Central Coast, Contests & Grants, Tips and Tools, Tri-Regional News
by Anonymous SCBWI Contest Judge
Years ago, I’d sit among other eager writers, waiting to hear if my submission had won “Special Mention” or even better, “Most Promising.” Watching the elated winner claim their award, I’d wonder why my story didn’t capture the prize.
Now as a contest judge who’s “been there,” I hope that sharing my insights on how to take a story from good to impressive will help another aspiring writer.
Judges respond to stories that engage us. I may love some genres more than others, but when judging, I set aside personal preferences and look at the caliber of the work.
I read contest submissions multiple times to answer two key questions:
Kite Tales 