Racklyeft wins 2023 SCBWI Bologna Scholarship

Melbourne-based author and illustrator Jess Racklyeft has been awarded a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) International Bologna Scholarship to attend this year’s Bologna book fair.

Racklyeft and Aden Wilder from the US received the annual portfolio scholarships and will receive a ticket to the fair, travel, a stipend for accommodation and the opportunity to display their portfolios. Racklyeft will be drawing live on the Australian Publishers Association’s Australia stand.

Racklyeft won 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year for Iceberg (Claire Saxby, A&U), which was also a notable book in the Eve Pownell Award, and the author/illustrator was longlisted for the 2021 Indie Book Awards for Welcome Baby (Affirm Press). Racklyeft’s books Merry Everything (Tania McCartney, Windy Hollow) and Smile Cry (Tania McCartney, EK Books) were notable books in the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award in 2018 and 2017 respectively, and Racklyeft was the SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner for Australia/NZ in 2017.

Category: Awards Local news