SCBWI Virtual Conference 2026 Scholarships! EXTENDED

Reposting, as the deadline has been EXTENDED!

The countdown to the conference has begin! For those who may need some assistance, SCBWI offers some wonderful scholarships to cover tuition for this year's conference! 

First up, we have the 

BIPOC Scholarship: Summer 2026

For Black, Indigenous, and People of color, this scholarship will reward two winners with tuition to the 2026 SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference. 

Members and Non-members may apply to this scholarship. Submissions for the BIPOC Scholarship is open through July 16, midnight PST.

Visit the BIPOC Scholarship: Summer 2026 for the submission guidelines!

Next, we have the 

Penguin Random House Scholarship (General Scholarship): Summer 2026

This next scholarship generously sponsored by Penguin Random House, grants EIGHT scholarships to SCBWI members who may be experiencing financial hardship with free tuition to the SCBWI conference!

Submissions for the General Conference Scholarship is open until July 16, midnight PST.

Visit the Penguin Random House Scholarship (General Scholarship): Summer 2026 for the submission guidelines! The submission portal can be found in your Member Profile under the AWARDS tab.

Last, but not least, we have the 

Student Illustrator Scholarship: Summer 2026

Each year, the SCBWI sponsors conference scholarships for full-time graduate or undergraduate students studying illustration. The winners will receive admission to the Summer Conference and entry in the Juried Portfolio Showcase. 

Many of our SIS winners have gone on to be represented by agents, get illustration work, publish books, and win awards. SCBWI reserves the right not to award the scholarship in any given year.

For this scholarship, you must submit by July 16, midnight PST. 

You must be currently enrolled, or have graduated in the past semester, as a full-time graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited educational institution, and must be at least 18 years old.

Visit the Student Illustrator Scholarship: Summer 2026 for the submission guidelines! The submission portal can be found in your Member Profile under the AWARDS tab.

How to Submit to the Scholarships

Submission portal can be found in your Member Profile under the AWARDS tab.

1. Click on your MEMBER HOME

2. Click on the AWARDS Icon

3. Scroll down to your desired Scholarship box and click 'submit'

Questions? Please email Sarah Diamond at sarahdiamond@scbwi.org.

Note: In the event that a recipient cannot attend for any reason, SCBWI staff should be notified as soon as possible. The scholarship may, in that event, be awarded to another applicant. The grant is not transferrable and cannot be postponed.

SCBWI Virtual Conference 2026 Scholarships!

The countdown to SCWBI Summer Virtual Conference 2026 starts as we enter July! There is so much in store and we hope you will join us! 

For those who may need some assistance, SCBWI offers some wonderful scholarships to cover tuition for this year's conference! 

First up, we have the 

BIPOC Scholarship: Summer 2026!

For Black, Indigenous, and People of color, this scholarship will reward two winners with tuition to the 2026 SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference. 

Members and Non-members may apply to this scholarship. Submissions for the BIPOC Scholarship is open through July 8, midnight PST.

Visit the BIPOC Scholarship: Summer 2026 for the submission guidelines!

Next, we have the 

Penguin Random House Scholarship (General Scholarship): Summer 2026

This next scholarship generously sponsored by Penguin Random House, grants EIGHT scholarships to SCBWI members who may be experiencing financial hardship with free tuition to the SCBWI conference!

Submissions for the General Conference Scholarship is open until July 8, midnight PST.

Visit the Penguin Random House Scholarship (General Scholarship): Summer 2026 for the submission guidelines! The submission portal can be found in your Member Profile under the AWARDS tab.

Last, but not least, we have the 

Student Illustrator Scholarship: Summer 2026

Each year, the SCBWI sponsors conference scholarships for full-time graduate or undergraduate students studying illustration. The winners will receive admission to the Summer Conference and entry in the Juried Portfolio Showcase. 

Many of our SIS winners have gone on to be represented by agents, get illustration work, publish books, and win awards. SCBWI reserves the right not to award the scholarship in any given year.

For this scholarship, you must submit by July 8, midnight PST. 

You must be currently enrolled, or have graduated in the past semester, as a full-time graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited educational institution, and must be at least 18 years old.

Visit the Student Illustrator Scholarship: Summer 2026 for the submission guidelines! The submission portal can be found in your Member Profile under the AWARDS tab.

How to Submit to the Scholarships

Submission portal can be found in your Member Profile under the AWARDS tab.

1. Click on your MEMBER HOME

2. Click on the AWARDS Icon

3. Scroll down to your desired Scholarship box and click 'submit'

Questions? Please email Sarah Diamond at sarahdiamond@scbwi.org.

Note: In the event that a recipient cannot attend for any reason, SCBWI staff should be notified as soon as possible. The scholarship may, in that event, be awarded to another applicant. The grant is not transferrable and cannot be postponed.

Bologna Illustrator Scholarship 2026- Applications OPEN

Would you like to attend the Bologna Children's Book Fair April 13 - 18, 2026? Well, now is your chance! Applications for the SCBWI's 2026 Bologna Illustrator Scholarship are now OPEN!

Also, shout out to Rashin Kheiriyeh, the 2025 winner of the Bologna Illustrator Scholarship!

Check out SCBWI at the Bologna Children's Book Fair!

Click the link to apply for the Bologna Illustrator Scholarship

"Submissions can be found on the MY AWARDS tab in your Member Home. Members must be logged in to scbwi.org to access their Member Home.

The submission should consist of three or four images without text that best showcase your portfolio. Your art style and visual story must be appropriate for one of these two specific audiences/book genres (Choose one):

• Full color, intended for a picture book for 4 to 7-year-olds
• Black and white, intended for a middle grade book for 8 to 11-year-olds
• You must be a current SCBWI member to submit."

Take a chance on yourself and apply today!

ALSO! The Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition is open until November 3! SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES!

"Now in its 60th edition, the Illustrators Exhibition—which will take place as part of the next edition of the fair (13–16 April 2026)—offers the rare opportunity to bring the work of both established and emerging artists to the attention of industry professionals, during the fair and in the months that follow."

Each year, the winning illustrations will be shown in the show as well as be published in the Ilustrators Annual, released and distributed worldwide. Following the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Exhibition will embark on a two-year tour, throughout the world as well will be presented—"either in full or in part"—at various international events in different countries. This is a wonderful opportunity to get your work in front of professionals all over the world!

Mantras of mine:

"You'll never know if you don't try"

"If it's a 'No,' you'll still be where you are. But if it's a 'Yes,' who knows what doors will open!"

"No fear. No judgement!"

Explore the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund

 

Have you heard about the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund? Launched in 2022, it is a division of SCBWI created to support charitable activities and community purposes. Its programs and initiatives are not limited to SCBWI members but are available to the entire children’s book community!

Its mission: to provide and administer specific endowments, grants, awards, and programs that enhance the effectiveness and reach of the children’s book community. Pretty cool, huh?

The have four programs up and running:

The Russell Freedman Award

National Coalition Against Censorship

Stephen Fraser Encouragement Fund

Tomie dePaola Professional Development Award

Future programs will include the establishment of a grant to support endangered animals and species and the creation of a program to advance global publishing and works in translation

Their projects aim to highlight the important role of children’s books and their creators (that's us!), support quality children’s literature for all communities and audiences (awesome!), and provide education, financial support, and public information for children’s book creators, their programs, and good works.

Check out the full information page, with details on the four projects above, at the SCBWI website here.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Matt de la Peña and Christopher Paul Curtis Create SCBWI Scholarships for IPOC Women

Two new scholarships are available for this summer's SCBWI Conference in Los Angeles (and there will be two new scholarship opportunities for #NY20SCBWI as well!)

SCBWI is proud to announce the creation of two new scholarship awards for SCBWI members to attend the international Winter and Summer Conferences. Four scholarships will be given in total: the two scholarships for the Los Angeles Summer Conference are sponsored by author, SCBWI Board member, and Newbery Award recipient Matt de la Peña; the two scholarships for the New York Winter Conference are sponsored by Newbery Award-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis. Both of these awards are for Indigenous and People of Color who identify as women.

All four winners of the two awards will receive an all-expense paid trip to one of the two SCBWI conferences, as well as two follow-up mentorship conversations with an industry professional. All expenses, such as travel and hotel, will be included, as well as a $250 stipend for additional costs, such as home or child care.

Eligible SCBWI members for the Summer Conference Matt de la Peña Award can apply from May 1 through June 15. The application form for the Summer Conference can be found here. Applications for the Christopher Paul Curtis Award will be available after October 1.

In sponsoring the scholarship, Matt de la Peña said,

“It is an honor to provide a small boost to hard-working and talented writers and artists in a time when it is such a challenge to make a career in the arts. I’m so thankful that SCBWI has provided me this opportunity to give back.”

Christopher Paul Curtis added this about his scholarship fund:

“My hope is that this scholarship serves as a nudge. A small encouragement to help a writer who is a woman of color get to the point where she listens to the voice that has asked day after day, ‘What are you waiting for? You are a writer. Do something about it.'”

SCBWI conferences provide a gateway for people to advance their careers. With the establishment of these awards, SCBWI hopes to increase the diversity of children’s books by providing four deserving IPOC women authors or illustrators a chance to seek creative and professional fulfillment and find a path to publication.

SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver noted,

“The generosity exemplified by Matt de la Peña and Christopher Paul Curtis in funding these scholarships will change the lives of four new children’s book creators, and help feed the pipeline for getting more diverse books into the hands of all children.”

Illustrate and Write On—and, if you are indigenous and/or a person of color who identifies as a woman, and you're ready to take your career as a writer and/or illustrator of work for children to the next level, apply!
Lee