Sunday Awards Presentation

The Martha Weston Grant was established by the Hairston Family to remember author/illustrator Martha Weston. Martha published over fifty picture books, and also published her first middle grade novel shortly before her death. This grant encourages authors and illustrators to nurture their creativity in a different genre of children’s books.

• Runner up: Lori Evert (Minnesota)
• Winner: Wendy Wahman (Western Washington)

The SCBWI Tribute Fund commemorates members of the children’s book community, their lives, and their work by funding all-expense scholarships to the SCBWI International Summer and Winter Conferences for the general membership. This year there are two scholarship recipients:

• Winner: Sally Spear (Rocky Mountain)
• Winner: Tricia Brown (Alaska)

The Ann Whitford Paul-Writer’s Digest Manuscript Award is an annual award given to a Most Promising Picture Book manuscript. The winner receives a $1,000 grant to encourage the development of an excellent picture book manuscript. This year there are two honorable mentions and one winner:

• Honorable Mention: Gayle Webre (Louisiana/Mississippi) for When I Was an Alligator
• Honorable Mention: Midge Ballou Smith (Utah/Southern Idaho) for Bert and Wert: We Do the Dirty Work
• Winner: Sherry Smith (California, San Francisco North & East Bay) for Rosa and Bessie

The On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award was established in 2012 with funding from Martin and Sue Schmitt of the 455 Foundation, with the purpose of fostering the emergence of diverse voices in children’s books. There are two award recipients for this year:

• Winner: Amira Kunbargi (California, San Francisco North & East Bay)
• Winner: Medina (New York, Metropolitan)

The IPOC Women's Scholarship awarded annually to two Indigenous or People of Color who identify as women. This is the award's inaugural year.

• Winner: Kelly J. Baptist (Michigan)
• Winner: Rehannah Azeeyah Khan (Caribbean: South)

The Kweli/SCBWI Outstanding Manuscript Award is awarded annually to a PoC writer. This is the award's inaugural year, and the winner was first announced at the 2019 Kweli Color of Children's Literature Conference.

• Winner: Lisa Stringfellow (New England)

SCBWI is proud to launch the Kate Dopirak Craft and Community (KDCC) Award, which is offered in celebration of Kate Dopirak, a picture book author and beloved SCBWI member who lived her life lighting the way for others. The award will go to the author of a promising manuscript who is experiencing financial barriers to attending the annual summer conference. The inaugural award in 2020 will go to a picture book writer who will receive the following:

• Full tuition to the 49th Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Annual Summer Conference, July 24-27, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA;
• A 20-minute phone consultation with literary agent Tracey Adams from Adams Literary; and
• A 20-minute phone consultation with children’s editor Andrea Welch from Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster.