SUBMISSION WINDOW

We will start accepting applications at 12:01AM EST on May 31st, 2020. Our submission window will remain open until we've received 300 entries OR until June 30th, 2020, whichever comes first. Applications must be in by 11:59PM EST on June 30th.

Note: Black writers and illustrators may submit an application until June 30th, even if we've hit our cap.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must identify as diverse (defined below).
• Applicants must be unpublished as illustrators and/or authors. This includes both trade publishing and self-publishing. If the applicant has a book deal for an as yet unpublished book, the applicant is considered published for purposes of this grant. Essays, short stories, and articles do not render an applicant ineligible.
• Applicant must be working toward a career as a children’s author and/or illustrator. This includes but is not limited to: Picture Books, Early Reader Books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade Books, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Non-Fiction, Poetry.
• Applicant must be a U.S, resident or a refugee living in the States. (Note for refugee applicants: receiving a grant might affect your income limitations and any government assistance you may receive. You may want to reach out to appropriate officials, like an immigration attorney, for advice.)
• Applicant must be at least 18 years in age.

What is meant by diverse?

Applicants must identify as one or more of the following:

• • Person of color
  • Native American
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Person with a disability
  • Marginalized religious or cultural minority

                Please note:

• • The applicant themselves must be diverse. Being married to, a parent of, or a sibling of a diverse person, or being someone who has grown up with diverse people, will not qualify an otherwise ineligible applicant.
  • Work submitted for consideration of the Walter Grant must not be work currently on submission. If the work being considered for the Walter Grant subsequently goes on submission, applicant is required to notify the Walter Grant committee.

Submission Guidelines

Applicants are invited to submit an application for consideration to the Walter Grant judging committee at waltergrantapplications@diversebooks.org.

The following are required for consideration:

1. A cover letter expressing interest in submitting for the Walter Grant. The cover letter must include:

• Full name
• Any former legal names you've had that have been registered with the U.S. government*
• Address
• E-mail address
• Phone number
• Diversity the applicant identifies with.
• The genre of the manuscript for which the applicant is seeking grant support.
• A brief one-sentence statement by the applicant stating their name and that they have never been published as an author or illustrator.

Please note:

• If the applicant receives a book deal during the Walter Grant process, the applicant is required to notify the committee.
• Under Executive Order 13224, all 501(c)(3) organizations must confirm that grant recipients are not affiliated with federally identified terrorist groups. To comply, we must compile any of your former legal names that have been registered with the United States government. We are aware that we are asking for potentially sensitive information and we sincerely apologize for this intrusion. WNDB will keep this information in the utmost confidence and will never use any former name(s) in our correspondence with you.

2. A brief statement explaining how the applicant intends to use the grant money to further their writing career.

• Maximum word count 200 words

3. A brief summary of the work sample being submitted. Please note: this should be a summary, not a pitch.

• Maximum word count: 200 words

4. An essay discussing how diversity impacts the applicant’s writing and illustrating career.

• Double-spaced
• One-inch margins
• Maximum word count: 500 words

5. A work sample in the genre you are seeking grant support. Please choose only one to submit:

• Authors: maximum of 2,500-word sample of writing. Sample must be in the genre the author seeks grant support for.
• Illustrators: minimum of 4 and maximum of 6 illustration samples.
• Please note: Illustrations must be scanned and submitted as PDF. Please do not submit originals.

Formatting

• All of the above must be submitted as a single PDF document.
• The applicant’s name [last name, first name] must be included in the header on each page.
• The author’s first and last name must be included in the name of the PDF file.
• Any submission received that does not meet these requirements will be purged without being read.

Reminder: we will accept submissions until we've received 300 entries OR until June 30th, 2020 at 11:59PM EST.  Note that the Walter Grant is limited to US residents and refugees living in the States.

We look forward to your submissions! For additional information please read our Walter Grant FAQs and direct any questions to waltergrant@diversebooks.org.