Deadline: September 30, 2022
The Mentorship program aims to support writers and illustrators by pairing them with an experienced professionals in the field. Our mentors work one-on-one with a mentee and their completed draft of a manuscript over the course of a year, offering advice to improve craft and to better understand the publishing industry.
In 2023, WNDB (We Need Diverse Books) will offer fifteen mentorships split among the following categories: Picture Book Text (PB), Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA); and Illustration (IL).
Cost
- Free. There is no cost to apply or for the mentoring program.
Eligibility
- The writing mentorships are available to diverse writers or any writers or illustrators who have completed a full draft of a manuscript for children or teens featuring a diverse main character or diverse central subject matter.
- The illustration mentorship is available to any diverse illustrator who has a portfolio and several sample illustrations completed.
- Applicants may only apply for one of the four mentorship categories, so it is up to the applicant to research the available mentors and decide which category will be most suitable for their work.
- Applicants who do not comply with submission rules will be disqualified. Previous recipients of a WNDB Mentorship may not apply.
- Previous recipients of a WNDB Mentorship may not apply
Judges’ Criteria
The first-round judges will select a pool of final applicants based on the merit of the work submitted. Mentors will select their mentees based on merit, compatibility, and readiness/need for the mentorship as outlined in their essay. Applicants who do not comply with submission rules will be disqualified.
