The Golden Kite Award is presented annually by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for books which ‘exhibit excellence in writing and illustration, and genuinely appeal to the interests and concerns of children.’

… this award is special to those who win it because it is the only award solely judged and presented by their fellow writers and illustrators. 

• The award was established in 1973: it started out with two categories, Fiction and Non-Fiction, and currently includes fours categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Book Text, and Picture Book Illustration.
• Entrants must be members of the SCBWI.
• Eligible books must be original and published in the year of the award; the text of books in the Picture Book Illustration category may be original, of public domain or have been previously published.
• The winners are awarded a Golden Kite Statuette.
• An Honor Plaque is also awarded in each category and the writer of the winning book in the Picture Book Illustration category is presented with a Certificate of Acknowledgement.
• In 2002 a new prize, The Sid Fleishman Humor Award, was established within the Golden Kite Award ‘to honor humorous work, so often overlooked in children’s literature by other award committees.’
• Most recently, Hachiko: the True Story of a Loyal Dog earned its author an Honor Award in the 2004 Picture Book Text category; Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales and The Loyal Cat illustrated by Aki Sogabe are also a past Honor Award winners; and The Paper Dragon by Marguerite W. Davol and Robert Sabuda has the distinction of being awarded Golden Kites for both text and illustrations.

   

SCBWI Golden Kite Coordinator
8271 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
USA

 e-mail the Golden Kite Coordinator: awards@scbwi.org  

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