Crystal Kite Awards are NOW OPEN May 1- May 31

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Submissions for the 2026 Crystal Kite Awards are NOW OPEN, from May 1st to May 31st! 

Check out the 2025 winners of the Crystal Kite Awards!

Eligibility:

You must be a current member to nominate your book and at the time the award announcement is made. This award is open to SCBWI authors, illustrators, and translators.

Nominated books must be a PAL book first published within the previous calendar year.

This award is for PAL books; independently published books cannot be nominated.

For Guidelines, visit the Crystal Kite Awards page in SCBWI's Awards and Grants page!

Nominations/Submissions: May 1 through May 31, midnight PST.

Round 1 Voting: June 1 through June 22, midnight PST.

Final Round Voting: June 26 through July 17, midnight PST.

Winners announced: July 24, 2026.

Winners are announced in July in a press release and on the SCBWI website/social media. Winners receive a crystal, engraved kite award, a silver sticker for their winning book, and one winner will be chosen to present at the SCBWI Summer Conference.