The Walter Dean Myers Grant program was established to provide grants of $2,000 each to promising diverse writers and illustrators who are currently unpublished. Since 2015, we have awarded 45 grants. Current and former grantees have gone on to publish or contract over 50 books for children and teens.
Prior recipients have secured literary representation and book deals, including our 2015 winner Angie Thomas who used her grant to purchase a computer to complete her Black Lives Matter-inspired manuscript. That YA manuscript, titled The Hate U Give, went on to sell in a 12-house auction, received 8 starred trade reviews, and is now a #1 New York Times’ Best Seller and a major motion picture.
Guidelines
SUBMISSION WINDOW
We will start accepting applications for the 2023 Walter Grants at 12:01 AM EST on June 1, 2023. Our submission window will remain open until July 10, 2023. Applications must be in by 11:59 PM EST on July 10. You may submit an application below using our application form.
In 2023, we are offering three community-specific grants in addition to our general five Walter Grants. We are offering five general Walter Grants to diverse unpublished authors and illustrators. We are also offering one Walter Grant to disabled writers, two Walter Grants to trans writers and illustrators, and two Walter Grants to Native/Indigenous/First Nations writers and illustrators. To apply for this grant, you must select that you wish to be considered in your application.
ELIGIBILITY FOR GENERAL WALTER GRANT
- Applicants must identify as diverse, as per WNDB’s definition of diversity.
- Applicants must be unpublished as illustrators and/or authors.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 If the applicant has a book deal for an as yet unpublished book, the applicant is considered published for purposes of this grant.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, journalism, and articles do not render an applicant ineligible.
- Applicants who have books on submission to publishing houses are not eligible for the Walter Grant. Books on submission to procure an agent however will not render the 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 cannot be applying for funding to self-publish their project.
- 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.
ELIGIBILITY FOR WALTER GRANT FOR DISABLED WRITERS
- Applicant must meet all of the above qualifications as stated for our general Walter Grant AND
- Applicant must be a part of the disability community/identify as disabled. The Walter Grant for disabled creators is open to all disabled writers, including but not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.
- You may belong to one or more of these communities and still decide to apply for a general Walter Grant. You need to choose one of the grants to apply for and cannot apply to more than one.
- Your creative work does NOT need to include or center a disabled character in order to qualify for this Walter Grant, so long as you identify as disabled.
- You need to be applying as a writer, not as an illustrator.
ELIGIBILITY FOR WALTER GRANT FOR TRANS CREATORS
- Applicant must meet all of the above qualifications as stated for our general Walter Grant AND
- Applicant must be a part of the trans community. The Walter Grant for trans creators is open to all trans writers and illustrators, including but not limited to people who are trans men, trans women, Two Spirit, third gender, nonbinary, genderqueer, bigender/pangender, genderfluid, and agender.
- You may belong to one or more of these communities and still decide to apply for a general Walter Grant. You need to choose one of the grants to apply for and cannot apply to more than one.
- Your creative work does NOT need to include or center a trans character in order to qualify for this Walter Grant, so long as you identify as trans.
ELIGIBILITY FOR WALTER GRANT FOR NATIVE/INDIGENOUS CREATORS
- Applicant must meet all of the above qualifications as stated for our general Walter Grant AND
- Applicant must be Native, Indigenous, and/or First Nations, including but not limited to Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, and tribal citizens and members or recent descendants who are connected to their community.
- You may belong to one or more of these communities and still decide to apply for a general Walter Grant. If you belong to more than one of these communities, you need to choose one of the grants to apply for and cannot apply to more than one.
- Your creative work does NOT need to include or center a Native/Indigenous character in order to qualify for this Walter Grant, so long as you identify as Native/Indigenous.
Please note:
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 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.
Submission Guidelines
Applicants are invited to submit an application for consideration when the application window is open.
The following are required for consideration:
- 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.
- A brief statement explaining how the applicant intends to use the grant money to further their writing career.
- Maximum word count 200 words
- A brief summary of the work sample being submitted. Please note: this should be a summary, not a pitch.
- Maximum word count: 200 words
- An essay discussing how diversity impacts the applicant’s writing and illustrating career.
- Maximum word count: 500 words
- A work sample in the genre you are seeking grant support. Note: This is a sample, so you do not need to submit an entire manuscript, only a 2,500-word sample in your genre. This sample can be an excerpt. Please choose only one to submit:
- Authors: maximum of a 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.
- Illustrations must be submitted in PDF format.
Please note:
- If the applicant receives a book deal during the Walter Grant process, the applicant is required to notify the committee.
- 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.
- Under Executive Order 13224, all 501(c)(3) organizations must confirm that grant recipients are not affiliated with federally identified terrorist groups. To comply, if you are awarded a grant, 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.
We look forward to your submissions! For additional information please read our Walter Grant FAQs below and direct any questions to waltergrant@diversebooks.org.
Application
Thank you for your interest in the WNDB Walter Dean Myers Grant Program. Applications are accepted from June 1 through July 10, 2023. Please return during this window to fill out the application.
Previous Grantee Publications
Since 2015, WNDB has been proud to provide Walter Grants to promising writers and illustrators from diverse communities. Below are the books that have been published or announced by grantees since receiving their grants. Congratulations to everyone!
Walter Grant FAQ
Please choose one category to submit, whichever you feel is a better fit for consideration.
Please choose one creative project to submit, whichever you feel is the best fit for consideration. We do not accept multiple simultaneous submissions or applications from one creator and you will be disqualified if you submit more than one application for a Walter Grant.
No, there is no limit to the number of entries accepted. We are accepting entries until June 30, 2022, at 11:59 pm EST. Applications are accepted through our application form online.
You are eligible to apply if you have legal residence in the United States regardless of citizenship.
We aim to notify winners by fall 2023.
Unfortunately, we cannot have original works or copies mailed in. Any illustration must be submitted electronically.
There is no application fee to apply for the Walter Grant.
Applicants who have books on submission to publishing houses are not eligible for the Walter Grant. Books on submission to procure an agent however will not render the applicant ineligible.
Submitting to other grants, contests, and similar writing opportunities does not disqualify for a Walter Grant. If you do receive a book deal from one of these submissions, you are required to notify us at waltergrant@diversebooks.org.
No. Authors who have published outside of children’s literature are also not eligible for the Walter Grant.
There are no degree or publication credits required to apply for the grant.
No, authors who have have self published are not eligible for the Walter Grant.
Please direct any questions to waltergrant@diversebooks.org.
