Award info
The Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award is for authors over the age of fifty who have not been traditionally published in the children’s literature field. The grant was established by Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient Karen Cushman and her husband, Philip Cushman, in conjunction with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. The award is open to unpublished children’s book authors or author/illustrators over the age of fifty, and one winner will be chosen from the pool of those who have submitted material for the SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grants. The winner will receive $500 and free tuition to any SCBWI conference anywhere in the world.
(Conference tuition includes tuition to the general conference, and does not include transportation, hotel, and expenses.) SCBWI reserves the right not to confer this award in any given year.
Congratulations to 2023 winner Danielle Sunshine!
2024 winner will be announced in November.
Submissions re-open on March 1, 2025.
Submission guidelines
You must be a current member.
The award is open to unpublished writers and writer-illustrators fifty years of age and older.
The applicant cannot have been traditionally published or have a project under contract in the children’s book field. (Self-published writers may apply.)
All Work-in-Progress Grant guidelines apply.
The final judging will be by a committee including Karen Cushman.
Submit through the Work-in-Progress Award Portal. (The awards portal can be found in the Awards tab on your Member Profile. Make sure you are logged in to the SCBWI website to access your profile!)
Questions? Please email Sarah Diamond at sarahdiamond@scbwi.org.
