SCBWI Pitch-Perfect Translation Grant

SCBWI Pitch-Perfect Translation Grant is sponsored by Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Pitch-Perfect Translation Grant – SCBWI Pitch-Perfect Translation Grant The SCBWI Pitch-Perfect Translation Grant assists children’s book translators in the development of a specific translation project into English, which is not currently under contract. Up to two winners will be selected annually. Entrants will submit a written pitch of up to 500 words and a short translation sample of up to 500 words from the work being pitched.

Each winner will receive $500 and the opportunity to craft a longer sample of up to 4000 words, which will be presented to agents, editors, and other industry professionals. Special consideration will be given to emerging translators and to works translated from underrepresented languages. Congratulations to our 2025 winners , Patience Haggin and Aerin Park !

Deadline: Submissions accepted from July 1 to July 31, 2026. Announcement and payment of grant: November You must be a current SCBWI translator member when your work is submitted, when the grant is announced and payment remitted. You may not submit a translation that is under contract for publication in any form.

If the translation is contracted after submission, please inform SCBWI and withdraw your entry. Each member may submit one entry per year for the Pitch-Perfect Grant. The submission portal will open on July 1, 2026.

You will find it in the AWARDS TAB of your MEMBER HOME. 1. A pitch (proposal) for the book you wish to translate into English.

Describe in 500 words or less the work and why it should be published in your translation. Your pitch should: Indicate which of the following English-language children’s publishing categories the book would fit most closely: picture book, early reader, chapter book, middle grade, young adult; fiction or nonfiction. Identify the source text’s genre, author, language, publisher, and publication date (if published).

Describe why this book deserves to be translated into English now. What is its relevance for the market? Include a bio of yourself and explain why you are the right translator for this work.

A pitch would typically also address how a work would suit a particular publisher’s list and/or an editor’s tastes, but for this grant, please focus your written pitch on the work and on you. Why are you so passionate about this work that you wish to develop it on-spec? 2.

A translation sample from the book, no more than 500 words. This would typically be the opening of the book, but for the Pitch-Perfect Grant, it may be any portion that stands alone and conveys the work’s best qualities. Items #1 and 2 should be combined into a single PDF document, formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced, on US Letter-sized paper with 1-inch margins and page numbers in the bottom right corner.

Label this PDF in the following style: Translator’s First Name_Translator’s Last Name_Book’s Title in English_Pitch and Short Sample Items for #3 should be combined into a second PDF document, labeled in the following style: Translator’s First Name_Translator’s Last Name_Book’s Title in English_Source Text The announcement of Pitch-Perfect Grant winners in SCBWI’s e-publications serves as the notification to all other entrants that they did not win this year.

Please note that SCBWI reserves the right not to confer this grant in a given year, a situation that would be announced instead of announcing the winners. In either case, please try again next year!

Patience Haggin for the translation of THE GIRL WITH THE GREEN BACKPACK by Elisa Castiglioni from Italian (Middle Grade) Aerin Park for the translation of MO STORY by Yeonju Choi from Korean (Picture Book) Melissa Boyce Hurd for the translation of THE SCHOOL OF FEAR by Vincent Mondiot from French (Middle Grade) Li Wang for the translation of MR. BEAR'S CLASS LEARNS TO WRITE 1 by Longsha Liu from Chinese (Picture Book) Membership Our Mission Who We Are Global Regions Impact and Legacy Fund Partners Annual Report Gift Cards Awards and Grants Illustrator Gallery Member Bookstore Translation in SCBWI SCBWI at Bookshop.

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