On Winning the SCBWI Portfolio Showcase

 

 

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I won! This year’s SCBWI conference was more than I could have ever expected it to be. I got to spend tons of time with my fellow Mentees who were able to be there, see old friends, meet new ones, and just all around be inspired.

I’m so excited and honored to share with you my news of winning the Portfolio Showcase grand prize at this year’s SCBWI Summer Conference! Since receiving last year’s Mentorship award, I worked hard revising my portfolio according to the suggestions of the Mentors. Going to this year’s conference with the changes in hand, I felt good about the work I had done but couldn’t imagine it would have been announced as the portfolio showcase winner. It was an amazing moment and continues to feel surreal. To top it off, fellow mentee John Deininger won the Portfolio Honor Award! It felt extra special to be up there together.

Everyone around me has been overwhelmingly encouraging. The prize will be an expense-paid trip to New York to meet face-to-face with art directors. I will share more details when I get them from SCBWI.

Coming up this week; I’ll share on the blog my portfolio from this year compared to last year, side by side, so you can see what kinds of changes turned it into a winning portfolio!