Tags
awards, contests, middle grade, picture books, published, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, young adult
by Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

2019 Picture Book category winner Sue Schmitt. (Photo by India Schmitt)
The SCBWI-L.A. annual Writers Day will be held March 28, 2020 and, as usual, there will be a manuscript contest open to all who register for the event. Whether you’ll be attending the event for the first time or you’ve been to so many Writers Days you’ve lost count, entering the contest is a fun and valuable part of the experience.
Submissions will be accepted in four categories—Picture Book, Middle Grade novel, Young Adult novel and Other (which includes non-fiction and poetry). Instructions for entering will be included on the 2020 Writers Day event information page. The contest opens as soon as registration goes live, which will be sometime in December. Winners receive a free written critique from one of the Writers Day faculty members PLUS free tuition to Writers Day 2021 (or equivalent).
In recent years, the Writers Day contest has been particularly prescient when it comes to recognizing promising work. Continue reading
I remember where I was sitting, red club chair in my living room, when I opened the email from SCBWI-L.A. letting me know that
The SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship program alternates between picture book writers, illustrators and novelists. And this year, it’s the novelists’ turn again.

Agent Jennifer Chen Tran is on faculty for this year’s
Last month, SCBWI-L.A. held its first Makers Mixer, which gave SCBWI PAL members — agented or not — a chance to pitch intellectual property to film and TV representatives. However, a major highlight of the evening came in-between pitches, when writers and illustrators chatted with fellow authors, sharing ideas, experiences, and encouragement. Here are five takeaways from the night to help promote you and your work at events.
If you are thinking about applying to 