Mentorship Submission Instructions Page

Step 1: Determine Your Eligibility

• Log in to www.scbwi.org, then click on “My Home” in the upper right corner. When your profile appears, find the “My Profile” box and look for “Membership Expiration.” If your membership has expired, you can renew from the link next to your status. You must be a current member (not expired) to enter the mentorship. Proof of eligibility may be requested.
• If you have previously won a mentorship for illustration, then you are not eligible.

Step 2: Register for the mentorship

• Once the registration platform is live, a link will be provided here and in numerous mentorship announcements across our social media platforms.
• The submission fee is $55 (nonrefundable). 
• One entry per person.
• After you register, you have 24 hours to email your illustrations and questionnaire answers (see “Questionnaire” below) to the mentorship coordinator. Failure to send the submission materials by the deadline or to follow submission instructions will invalidate your registration without a refund. 

Step 3: Submit your materials

• Email your submission to the mentorship coordinator at our official mentorship email address.
• Include the following subject line: “Submission: [INSERT TITLE]” in which [INSERT TITLE] is the name of your first illustration. Do not name any of your illustrations “Untitled.” 
• Do NOT include your name in the subject line.

In the body of the email, include:

• Your name (or pen name)
• The title of the first image in your submission (do NOT use your name as the title)
• The name on your SCBWI membership, if different from above
• Your email address
• Your phone number

Combine all your illustrations into a single PDF file, and include the questionnaire (see below) as the last page. Attach the PDF to the email using the following format:

• Limit the file size of your PDF to no more than 25MB. 
• DO NOT put your name or any other identifying information in your file name.
• DO NOT put your name or any other identifying information on your illustrations. To ensure an unbiased selection process, the illustrations will be identified by title only, not the artist’s name. 
• Include three illustrations, each on a separate page of the PDF. The last page of the PDF, page 4, should be the answers to the questionnaire. See below for more information.
• In the header of the PDF, include the title of your illustrations and the illustration number, e.g., “Floral Fantasy, Illustration 1.” 
• Leave the footer blank. 
• For anyone scanning or photographing traditional art, please present it professionally (e.g., free of reflections, quality lighting, cropped effectively, etc.).
• For the questionnaire, use 12-point Times New Roman font with single spacing and no special formatting (bold, italic, underline, etc.).
• Failure to send the submission materials within 24 hours or to follow submission instructions will invalidate your registration without a refund. 

Questionnaire Questions:

• Tell us about your illustrations. For example, how were they created? If they are traditional, what media did you use? Are these separate illustrations or all part of a single narrative? Include anything you think will help the judges and mentor. (200-word limit)
• What do you hope to gain from the mentorship? (200-word limit)
• What are you looking for in a mentor? (200-word limit)

Once You Submit: 

• Feel free to announce the mentorship on social media.
• DO NOT mention on social media that you entered the competition.

Judges evaluate submissions based on the following criteria: 

• Creativity: Does the subject/content show originality of style, execution, or concept?
• Storytelling: Do the images effectively communicate a story and/or create visual interest?
• Technical Proficiency: Does the artist have a good sense of composition, color selection, and technique?  
• Overall impression. What is the judges’ overall impression of the images? Are they of high quality? Is the style suitable for picture books?

Note: For anyone scanning or photographing traditional art, please present it professionally (e.g., free of reflections, quality lighting, cropped effectively, etc.).

For more information, please visit our FAQ page here.