Thank You!

Many thanks to our conference coordinators for a fabulous conference – Genetta Adair (Midsouth RA), Sharon Cameron, Courtney Stevens Potter, and Susan Eaddy (Midsouth Illustrator Coordinator).

Until next year...

Cheryl Zach Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Victoria Morris, winner of the 1st Cheryl Zach Scholarship, a conference scholarship in honor of SCBWI-Midsouth's founder, Cheryl Zach.

Jim Hoover: Illustrator Promo Screening

The Mid-south offered this session for the first time about 4 years ago and every year it is invaluable peek into the head of the art director who is doing it. This Jim gave us some great tips on how he addresses promos and what he thinks an illustrator's best plan for getting noticed should be. "Artists get precious seconds" so we need to make them count. He suggested both mail and online promos and that from a cost advantage illustrators need to "embrace the internet." Forgo the flash for an easy to navigate website and keep your mailings something special, tactile and memorable.

On a bit more personal level, it was nice to end the conference the way we began - a circle of artists, relaxed together, chatting about the art spilled across the table in front of us.

2011 SCBWI-Midsouth Illustrator Contest Winner

Congratulations to the winner of the 2011 Illustrator Contest, Kris Sexton!

Conference Scenes

SCBWI-Midsouth 2011 Fiction Ms Contest Results

Congratulations to the winners and finalists in the 2011 SCBWI-Midsouth Fiction Manuscript Contest!

PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY:

Winner:

The Noisy Ninja by Jessica Young

Honorable Mentions:

Feed that Monster by Evelyn B. Christensen

Dove Love by Tina Seago

MIDDLE GRADE CATEGORY:

Winning Middle Grade Entry:

Who Brainwashed the World? by Janice Erbach

Middle Grade Honorable Mentions:

Orion’s Hunt by Hannah Dills

Skirmishes by Elizabeth Muster

The Knuckerhole by Howard Shirley

YOUNG ADULT CATEGORY:

Winning YA Entry:

The Wild (The Regime Trilogy) by Stephanie Cardel

YA Honorable Mentions:

Liberation/ Geurin vs. the Greater Good by Millie Bullington

Next by Tiffany Russell

Bellum by Sharon Wilharm

Editor, Agent, and Art Director Panel

Maneuvering the Digital Landscape in Children's Book Publishing

Panel Participants- Tina Wexler, Alexandra Cooper, Jim Hoover, Emily Mitchell, Erin Murphy, and Michelle Poploff.

So many people have questions about ebooks and apps and how it is affecting the industry as a whole...this panel addressed those inquiries and discuss the digital landscape in publishing.