Childrens Book Contest The Power to Make a Difference Through - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated

Literary Masterminds Children’s Book Contest

The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

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National Literary Masterminds Committee Members

• National Program Director – Gladys Henderson
• Central Region – Sharon Ivy (Kansas City, MO Chapter)
• Eastern Region – Carmelia Taylor (Queens Chapter)
• Mid-Atlantic Region – Helen Kimbrough (South Charlotte Chapter)
• Mid-Western Region – Agnes Godwin Hall (Cincinnati Chapter)
• Southeastern Region – Precious Jones (Macon Chapter)
• South Central Region – Danielle Wesley (Northeast Dallas Chapter)
• Regional Program Director Liaison – Celeste Adams, Mid-Western

Region

• Publisher – ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Mid-Atlantic Region

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Life is a book. There are many pages to be written.

Lailah Gifty Akita

• Jack and Jill youth, K thru 5th

grade, will be able to write, publish and illustrate an amazing children’s book.

• This anthology will be

published and released at the 2016 42nd Biennial National Convention in Palm Desert, CA (July 2016).

Literary Masterminds Children’s Book Contest

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Contest Overview

Helen Kimbrough, Mid-Atlantic Region The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

Literary Masterminds Contest Overview

• Participation in the contest is optional, but we encourage all children to submit

an entry.

• No restrictions on the number of entries per chapter or per region, but all

collaborators must be within the same chapter. However, only ONE submission per child.

• Submissions will be anonymously reviewed and evaluated by national

bestselling authors and literary expert external reviewers.

• Chosen submissions will be professionally edited and included in a JJOA

published children’s anthology.

• Placement of stories and illustrations will be the decision of the production

team.

• Brown Girls Books Publishing Company, owned by Member, ReShonda Tate

Billingsly, will oversee the review, evaluation, editorial and production process.

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Literary Masterminds Contest Overview

• The book will be produced in paperback edition and will be available in both

print and digital formats.

• Children whose submissions are chosen for the book will be offered the
• pportunity to participate in a book signing at the national convention, at own

personal expense.

• After the convention, the book can be purchased on the JJOA website and at

major bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc.)

• No financial compensation will be awarded to children for chosen submissions.
• Parents must sign the release form with each child’s submission (authors and

illustrators). Submissions will become property of JJOA. Release form is included with the submission form.

• Adherence to guidelines will be enforced. Noncompliance of submission

guidelines may result in disqualification.

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Submission Guidelines

Carmelia Taylor, Eastern Region The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

Literary Masterminds Contest Entry Specifications

• PLEASE REFER TO GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS - Adherence to the guidelines

will be enforced

• THINGS TO REMEMBER

– Contest is open to JJOA children in grades Kindergarten thru 5th. – Must promote and include or use “The Power to Make a Difference” theme. – Story, poem and illustrations must be original work, not copy written or previously published. – Only ONE submission per child. – A maximum of TWO collaborative authors are allowed per submission. (It is acceptable to have one or two authors per story or poem). – Only ONE Illustrator per submission. (The Illustrator may or may not be the author of the story). – No child identifiable information can be included in story, poem, or the illustration.

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Literary Masterminds Contest Text and Illustration Specifications

• PLEASE REFER TO GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS - Adherence to the

guidelines will be enforced

• THINGS TO REMEMBER

– Text Requirements

• REMINDER: A maximum of TWO authors per story are permitted.
• Text must be submitted as Microsoft Word .doc or .docx files.
• Kindergarten and First grade submissions: minimum of 50 and a maximum of 100 words.
• Second and Fifth grade submissions: minimum of 500 and a maximum of 2,500 words.

– Illustration Requirements

• REMINDER: Only ONE Illustrator per submission.
• Submitted stories must have minimum of one and a maximum of three original, clear

illustrations.

• Poems are not required to have any artwork, but may only have one illustration.
• Illustrations must be submitted in .pdf or .jpeg (JPEG Photoshop compression level with

quality 10 or higher). No scanned reproductions of an image from another publication can be

• used. Do not send illustrations in a Word document.
• Resolution: 300 DPI or higher

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Literary Masterminds Contest Entry Process and Deadline

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• PLEASE REFER TO GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS - Adherence to the guidelines will be

enforced

• THINGS TO REMEMBER

– Each entry must have the following files:

• Contest Entry Form
• Contest Release Form (required parental signature)
• Story / poem in Word .doc or .docx file
• Illustration(s) in .pdf or .jpeg file

– Please follow file naming conventions guidelines. – Incomplete submissions or those that do not follow these criteria may result in disqualification.

– Submission Deadline = March 1, 2016

Evaluation and Publishing Process

Danielle Wesley, South Central Region The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

National Bestsellers and Literary Expert Reviewers

• Victoria Christopher Murray - National Bestselling and Award Winning Author of 20+

books, Teen Author

• Kwame Alexander - Newbery Medalist and Acclaimed New York Times Bestselling

Children's Author

• Eric Jerome Dickey - World renowned, National Bestselling Author
• Nina Foxx - National Bestselling and Award Winning Author of 10+ books, NAACP

Image Award nominee, Teen Author (Jack & Jill mother)

• Jacquelin Thomas - National Bestselling Author, NAACP Image Award nominee for teen

books

• Jerry Craft - Syndicated Cartoonist, National Bestselling Children's Author and

Illustrator

• Carol Hill Mackey - Former editor for Black Expressions Book Club, Author
• Tanisha Tate - National Yes Prep Literary Reading Specialist
• ReShonda Tate Billingsley – National Bestselling and Award Winning Author of over 35

books

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“What Will The Evaluators Look For?”

• Creativity - Originality of topic or
• story. Imaginative and grabbed

reader’s attention.

• Content - Consistent, controlled

features and sentence structure.

• Organization -Organized.

Effective introduction, transitions and conclusion.

• Central Idea - Conveys theme.

Clear and sharply focused.

• Grammar Mechanics - Presents

ideas well with error free sentences.

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Literary Masterminds Contest Selection and Publishing

• Submissions will be judged on creativity, originality of plot and/or themes,

content, quality of artwork, and compatibility of text and illustrations.

• The submissions will be anonymously reviewed and evaluated.
• All decisions of the judges are final and not subject to appeal or review.
• Chosen submissions will be professionally edited and included in a Jack and Jill of

America, Incorporated published children’s anthology.

• Children whose submissions are chosen for the book will be offered the
• pportunity to participate in a book signing at the national convention, at own

personal expense.

• After the convention, the book can be purchased on the Jack and Jill of America,
• Inc. website and also at major bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc.)
• No financial compensation will be awarded to children for chosen submissions.
• The submissions will become property of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.

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“What Makes A Great Story”

ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Mid-Atlantic Region

The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

READY………SET………WRITE!

• Tips to help your child craft a

perfect story

• What to write?

– Think about what they like to read. – Look around for inspiration. – Find something they're passionate about. – Do a creative spin on a traditional story.

Story Writing Tips

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What to Write and How To Write

• Create a main character. (ex., Sela and her Magic Afro Puffs)
• Hatch a plot. (Sela has to help her friend find her beloved dog)
• Give your main character a problem. (Bobby the Bully has the dog)
• Develop your plot by asking “what if” (What if all the

neighborhood kids come together to rescue the dog )

• Build suspense. (Just when they're about to get the dog, Bobby's

bully friends show up)

• Solve the problem. (Sela and her friends rescue the dog. Bobby

apologizes)

• Poetry tells stories, too!

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Story Writing Tools and Tips

• The Best Stories

– Include characters we care about – Tug at an emotion (happiness, sadness, anger, inspiration, etc.) – Use the five senses – Keep it Simple

• Writing Tips

– Just write on the first draft! (don't worry about spelling, editing, etc.) – Set small goals. (a page a day, 50 words a day, etc.) – Let your child's creativity shine through!

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• http://imaginationsoup.net/2009/11/10/the-

plot-the-setting-the-characters/

• http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-

afterschool-resources/tips-howtos/help-child- write-story-a-30593.html Tools You Can Use - Helpful Online Resources

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For more information, contact members of the Literary Masterminds Committee.

The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

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QQ

Q & A

The Power to Make a Difference Through Literacy

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