Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond

Check out more resources at the end of the post!

OPEN NOW
Vote now for your favorite books from each of the 15 Crystal Kite divisions for the 2025 SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards! The Crystal Kite Awards are a “peer-given award to recognize great books published in 2024 from fifteen SCBWI regional divisions around the world.” The first round of voting will last until June 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (UTC-7). The second round of voting starts June 17, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. and ends June 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (UTC-7).

OPEN NOW
Registration for the SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference 2025 is now open! “Dive into every aspect of the children’s book world, from writing and illustrating and translating, marketing, and self-publishing” at this four-day-long event! Folks who register will have access to all 50+ sessions up until September 14, 2025. SCBWI members who sign up prior to June 25, 2025, will receive an early bird rate of $175. Nonmembers who sign up before June 25, 2025, will receive an early bird rate of $275. Click here to register today!

JUNE 6
Pitch your polished, query-ready manuscripts on June 6, 2025, at Joy Pitch! Joy Pitch is a “X/Twitter pitch event that’s open to all feel-good lighthearted fiction and non-fiction in all age categories, genres, and authors regardless of where you are and who you are.” From 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST you will have a chance to post a 280-word-max pitch using the #JoyPit. For more information, click the link here.

JUNE 14
Bring your sketchbook to the SCBWI SoCal Illustrator Meetup on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This month’s meetup will take place at the Orange County Zoo at 1 Irvine Park Road in Orange, CA. Admission is $2 and parking is $5 per car. For questions about the SCBWI SoCal Illustrator Meetup events, please email Heather or Su at socal-ic@scbwi.org and socal-ic2@scbwi.org. For more information about the zoo, click here.

JUNE 15
Submit your picture book idea for the Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award by June 15, 2025! Presented by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, “this initiative seeks promising new talent and encourages the development of high-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experience.” Submissions must include “a mock-up of no more than 32 pages of text, sketches, and at least 2-3 double page spreads (or 4-6 individual pages) of finished art,” as well as a “‘portfolio’ of at least 6 additional pieces of sample art.” Read more about the specific guidelines here.

JUNE 22
Hop into a free Zoom presentation with SCBWI SoCal for their monthly writer meet-up! This month’s guest speaker is Ariel Richardson, Senior Editor for Chronicle Books. Ariel will be talking about “The Pep, the Prod, and the Pause-Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster of the Creative Process” on Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. To get the Zoom link and be added to the SCBWI SoCal email listserv, contact Bev Plass at socal-ra@scbwi.org.

JUNE 22
Last call for illustrators who want to have their art be used as the website banner for SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest 2025! The winner will get attributed on the SCBWI SoCal website and receive free registration to attend the event. Submit your illustration to Bev Plass at socal-ra@scbwi.org by June 22, 2025, and mention “SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest 2025.” You must be an SCBWI member who lives in the SoCal region to be considered (Long Beach or counties of Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside). Click the image to the right to learn more about submission requirements, or contact Bev Plass. Winners will be announced by June 30, 2025.

JUNE 25
Register today for Introduction to Picture Books through UCLA Extension with April Halprin Wayland on June 25, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time! You will learn practical tools to help you “jumpstart your picture book writing” and receive “practical advice from award-winning authors who were once beginners themselves.” Click here to learn more!

JUNE 30
Attention all writers of Hispanic/Latinx/Ibero-American heritage! The SCBWI Volemos Grant is “open to authors of Hispanic/Latinx/Ibero-American heritage who are early in their career (1-3 traditionally published books) or not yet traditionally published. Please note: Self-published is not considered traditionally published for this award. All applicants must be current SCBWI members.” Manuscripts written in English or Spanish will be accepted. For more information on submission details, click the link here.

JUNE 30
Submit your manuscript today for the New Voices Award, hosted by Lee & Low Books! “Established in 2000, the New Voices Award is given biennially to an unpublished writer of color or Native/Indigenous writer for a picture book manuscript.” Submissions will close on June 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST. “Manuscripts may be FICTION, NON-FICTION, or POETRY for children ages 5-12.” Submit your work today!

CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES!
UCLAxOpen is “your gateway to free personal enrichment and professional development through UCLA Extension.” These complimentary online courses on business, design, arts, and writing “offer you timely and relevant lifelong learning opportunities.”

Are you looking for volunteer opportunities within SCBWI? We could always use more help! SCBWI-LA has several volunteer positions that are available. Please email losangeles@scbwi.org to ask about applying for any opportunities. Click the link here to learn more about the SCBWI-LA team and scroll to the bottom of the page to see what positions are currently open. You must be an SCBWI member residing within the Los Angeles Region to be an SCBWI-LA volunteer.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How Can I Get Published?“, look no further! Penguin Random House offers a free guide to “demystify the process and provide you with resources.” Click the link here to read more.

“Learn about where to find diverse books, how to fight book bans, and more” through the We Need Diverse Books Resources page! This helpful tool will provide you with insight on “diversifying your reading selections,” addressing book challenges, and shining the spotlight on Native children’s literature.

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