Working my way through 832 entries has unraveled my opinion on what makes a picture book excellent. It isn’t about top notch book design, the technical competence of the artist, compositional innovation, the medium, or the executional difficultly. A picture book is excellent when it makes us feel.

Brian LaRossa@brianlarossa.com · 4mo ago

Excited to share that, thanks to a kind invitation from @mikecurato.bsky.social, the chair of this year’s (46th) @soi128.bsky.social Original Art Show Competition, I’ll be the Art Director on this year’s jury.✨ Submit your picture books here: societyillustrators.org/the-original... 💙❤️ #kidlit

So happy to have received an honourable mention in the #50preciouswords contest run by the lovely @viviankirkfield.bsky.social! What a lovely boost to keep putting pen to paper! Congrats to the winners! 👏

Excited to announce our 3rd annual MGHub Off-Social-Media pitching event for all ages of kidlit: PB / CB / MG / YA Click to learn more… #mglit #kidlit #pitch

MG Hub Pitch Party 2025

MG Hub Pitch Party 2025 The Middle Grade Hub (MG Hub - (https://bsky.app/profile/middlegradehub.bsky.social) is hosting its third annual pitch party! The Pitch Party Unlike other pitch parties, this...

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My thoughts about how you can capture your life and apply it to your stories... heathercashman.substack.com/p/the-storie... #writing #writingcommunity #imagination #liveyourlife

The Stories You’re Living (And Not Writing Down)

But you should be!

heathercashman.substack.com

Late in posting (what's new?!) but I was so honoured to receive an overall honorable mention in the 2026 #Valentiny Children's Writing Contest! Congrats to all of the winners! 💗 #amwriting

Woohoo! My Silly Love Sonnet received an Honorable Mention! Thank you so much @littlethoughtspress.com - 'An Ode to Cat Hair' was so much fun to write! Check it out and the other wonderful winners below. 😻

Little Thoughts Press@littlethoughtspress.com · 7mo ago

Huge thanks & so much love to everyone who entered our Silly Love Sonnets contest & to Linda Hofke for serving as our guest judge. After much consideration, we've made our final choices for our winner, honorable mentions, and kid's choice pick! www.littlethoughtspress.com/post/winners...

Our 3rd annual From Trash to Treasure #kidlit poetry contest opens on Thursday, November 13th! This year's special guest judge is last year's winner @tracierenee.bsky.social! Check out all the contest details and polish up those discarded darlings! www.littlethoughtspress.com/post/our-3rd...

Our 3rd Annual "From Trash to Treasure" Kidlit Poetry Contest!

Little Thoughts Press and the Revision Raccoon are excited to announce the return of our “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest!

littlethoughtspress.com

Join veteran editor and author Deborah Halverson for an up-to-the-minute look at the children's publishing industry. Register here: www.scbwi.org/events/state...

Great opportunity for #amquerying writers! 👀 www.seasonsofkidlit.com/post/trick-o... #SeasonsofKidLit @literallylynne.bsky.social @authorhmacht.bsky.social

Trick or Treat with Agent Ashlee MacCallum! HUGE Submission Opportunity Inside!

Hi, readers, writers, and querying creators of all kinds! Today is #SeasonsOfKidLit’s last day of our 2025 Trick-or-Treat Event, and we’re closing it out in an extremely BIG way! We’re thrilled to wel...

seasonsofkidlit.com

Landing an agent doesn’t end rejection—it just changes inboxes. Publishers say no, too. Here are 9 publishing twists you didn’t see coming 👉 buff.ly/4vd0YPU

Another contest entry this week for #FallWritingFrenzy 😀 Thanks @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social @lydialukidis.bsky.social and @professoraixa.bsky.social for running the contest and the lovely visual prompts! 🍁 🍁 🍁

YAY! So happy to be named a winner in this year's #KidlitChuckleChallenge! 😃 A huge congrats to the other winners, and a big thank you to the judges! @aprilberrybooks.bsky.social @musingmommumble.bsky.social @juliehauswirth.bsky.social @brilawyer.bsky.social

April Berry | KidLit@aprilberrybooks.bsky.social · 12mo ago

OMGoodness, #kidlit friends! You are all so funny. 😂 It was so difficult (yet so very fun) judging the #KidlitChuckleChallenge entries this year! I'm super excited to share that these folks are prize-winning KIDLIT CHUCKLE CHAMPIONS. 🏆✨ Congratulations to this year's winners!🎉

Sundays are for contest submissions! Thanks @nycmidnight.bsky.social #RhymingStoryChallenge and #kidlitchucklechallenge

Great giveaways this week! 🤩

Kidlit411@kidlit411.bsky.social · last yr.

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (Sept 5): kidlit411.com/2025/09/the-... Inside: PB Tips, Writing MG, How to Title Your Book, more. Thanks Katy Tannis for the illustration, @rebeccaglevington.bsky.social & Sonja Anderson for the PB giveaways.

Join us on Monday, for this webinar with author, editor & writing coach, Lorin Oberweger as she dives into 'Tension & Anticipation' as the keys to story success. app.inkedvoices.com/event/webina...

If you’ve ever wished you could sit down with a picture book expert and get real, hands-on coaching… That’s exactly what my dear friend Chelsea Tornetto is offering. 💛 A one-time, 4-week group coaching cohort starts Sept 22. 👉 buff.ly/3WnzfEa

Sharing an incredible rhyming story below - DO READ! The @nycmidnight.bsky.social #rhymingstorychallenge starts next week. It's not for #kidlit, but I have fun entering to practice rhyme and meter. Give it a try! www.nycmidnight.com/rhyme

The Rhyming Story Challenge — nycmidnight

The Rhyming Story Challenge is a creative writing competition that challenges writers worldwide to create rhyming stories based on three assigned prompts in as little as 48 hours.

nycmidnight.com

NYC Midnight@nycmidnight.bsky.social · last yr.

We’re happy to announce that we'll be publishing the top 3 stories from last year’s Rhyming Story Challenge! First up is the 3rd place story, “The End of Nanga Brook” by David Trunkfield (Perth, Australia), at nycmidnight.co/47N21sO. Original illustration by Yevgenia Nayberg. Enjoy!

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (Aug 29): kidlit411.com/2025/08/the-... Inside: Reading Like a Writer, Art Notes in PBs, Submission Process, more. Thanks @colleenmuske.bsky.social for the illo, Scholastic, @maritererbellas.bsky.social @stephaniegibeault.bsky.social for the PB giveaways.

The Weekly 411 (8/29/25)

A one-stop place for all your kid lit information needs.

kidlit411.com

I'm very late in posting this, but was thrilled to received an honourable mention in the 2nd Annual Summer #kidlit Poetry Contest for the #LyricalLanguageLab. Thank you, fabulous judges! @reneemlatulippe.bsky.social @loupiccolo.bsky.social @suzylevinson.bsky.social and Michelle H. Barnes!

Non-member registration is open for our upcoming Adult/YA SFF workshop with Naomi Davis at Bookends Literary. This is a great opportunity to get market and editorial feedback on your opening chapters! find out more and register at app.inkedvoices.com/event/worksh...

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (June 6): www.kidlit411.com/2025/06/the-... Inside: Writing Plot Twists, 5 New Writing Contests, Query Letters, and more. Thanks TeTed Chen for the illustration, @zoepersico.bsky.social and @penguinkids.bsky.social for the GN & PB giveaways.

The Weekly 411 (6/6/25)

A one-stop place for all your kid lit information needs.

kidlit411.com

Gentle reminder to anyone who needs it today: The more you use technology to replace the things you used to do for for yourself, the less you will be able to do them. That goes for writing, walking, thinking, communicating, making things, and all the things humans used to be pretty good at.

👀 😍

Picture Book Summit@picturebooksummit.bsky.social · last yr.

#PBSummit 2025 Workshop #1 - Wordcount Wizardry: Say More w/ Less by @emmawaltonhamilton.bsky.social! In #picturebooks, every word counts, but how do you know if you have too many or too few? Find out online 10/4/25! Early Bird Reg opens 6/11! #amwriting #kidlit #writingconference #booksky

Starting this Wednesday - there are still a couple of free spaces!

Inked Voices@inkedvoices.bsky.social · last yr.

We are thrilled to be welcoming @annmrose.bsky.social for this upcoming YA/Adult Opening Pages workshop:) Nonmember registration now open and we have a couple of spots still free! More info at app.inkedvoices.com/event/worksh...

AGEISM

It's almost time! March events are kicking off this weekend and the #KidLit events calendar is PACKED. Check out all the opportunities for #PB, #MG, and #YA creators. Don't forget to sign up for weekly updates in the KidLit Weekly! carolynbfraiser.com/kidlit/ #KidLitEvents

Coming to you March! 3 pm ET! #PubSpotlight #kidsbook showcase on @kidlittv.bsky.social ! Watch live at www.kidlit.tv/2025/02/live...

LIVE! Publisher Spotlight Spring 2025 KidLit Showcase! - KidLit TV

• A KidLit Spring 2025 Preview • Picture Books, Middle Grade, Graphic Novels and More! Watch LIVE: The Publisher Spotlight shines... Read more »

kidlit.tv

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, LITTLE FREDDIE TWO PANTS by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummings (Philomel Books), out on Feb. 25. To enter, L + RP and confirm your entry in our Friday weekly update: www.kidlit411.com/2025/02/the-... (+ more ways to win)

Congratulations to Mac Barnett! newsroom.loc.gov/news/mac-bar...

Mac Barnett Named New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Mac Barnett Named New National Ambassador for Young People’s LiteratureAmbassadorship Will Celebrate the Power of the Picture Book Art FormProposals Now Accepted for National Ambassador Tour...

newsroom.loc.gov

It's submission day for the #PBParty contest. Did you enter yet? Please don't wait until the last minute! We can't wait to find out where you live, what genre/s you submitted & what other genres you write.