Scholarship Committee: Reviewer Information Center
Tentative Review Timeline (Subject to Change)
✅ Recording of details from 2/13/26 office hour: Play Video (30 minutes)
Scholarship Committee Roles & Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of the Scholarship Review Committee include:
- Allocating time to review scholarship applications based on talent/promise and seriousness of purpose. Round one generally involves reviewing up to 30 applications, and round two involves reviewing up to 15 applications. This includes scoring applicants on a 1-5 scale for talent/promise and seriousness of purpose, and providing 1-2 sentence insights based on your given score.
- Maintaining confidentiality throughout the review process. If you come across concerning material, please bring it forward to members of Boyds Mills and/or notify the review team if you have a personal connection to an application (this is not a conflict, though it helps alleviate any concerns you might have).
We understand that caring for storytellers requires dedication and time away from your own creativity. As a token of our appreciation, we hope you will accept a two-night gift certificate from Boyds Mills for your own personal retreat or to share with another creative. Please email our team at [email protected] to request your dates (as available) and redeem your stay.
Important Notes as You Review
- All scores and written remarks will be entered directly in Submittable. (Written remarks are minimal.)
- You may review materials in any order you prefer. (Submittable saves as you go!)
- You are one of several reviewers, and differences in perspective are expected and valued.
Stage in the Creative Journey definitions:
- Aspiring: As a creative this term may apply if one identifies as just starting out in pursuit of writing or illustrating stories for children and/or teens. This could mean minimal courses taken in writing/illustrating for children and/or teens, minimal writing/illustrating for children and/or teens, and/or minimal projects in draft form.
- Emerging: As a creative this term may apply if one identifies as someone with some study of the craft, and/or knowledge of the field of children’s books. (Perhaps benchmarks like, familiarity with the feedback process- from a critique group/ partner/courses/professionally; and/or projects have gone from idea to draft stage; and/or actively seeking publication, representation, or may even have some work published.) In addition, this term may apply if one has written or illustrated professionally, but with minimal knowledge of the children’s book industry.
- Established: As a creative this term may apply if one has been studying and creating stories in the field of children’s books, for some time. (Likely, this creative, has worked through the revision process, has received professional feedback on their work consistently, has a number of polished projects; and may have publications and/or representation within the children’s book field.)
Criteria for review:
1. Financial need will be considered during later rounds of the review process.
2. Seriousness of Purpose: Commitment to creating work for children and/or teens.
- You might ask yourself: how thoughtfully does the applicant articulate why they create (or wish to create) for children and/or teens? Do the narratives suggest intention, curiosity, and/or care for children and/or children’s books? To what extent does their work aim to “inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves” (the mission of Boyds Mills)?
- Score range in Submittable: 1-5, where “1” is minimal clarity of purpose and “5” is exceptional depth of intention and commitment to creating for children and/or teens.
3. Talent (promise): Sample + Stage in Creative Journey
- You might ask yourself: how does the creative sample demonstrate skill, originality, or voice? How does the work align with the applicant’s stated experience, training, and access to opportunities? How does this applicant’s work compare to submissions that you’ve read in this round of review?
- Keep in mind: “submission-ready” work is not required.
- Score range in Submittable: 1-5, where “1” is minimal evidence of skill/promise at this stage in their journey and “5” is exceptional quality, talent, or promise.
Please note that unless you are participating in the final round of review (donor review), you are not expected to assess alignment between an applicant’s narratives and a specific named scholarship. If an applicant has shared interest in a named scholarship, you can consider it as part of their biographical information and know that named scholarship considerations will be part of later stages of the review process. You do not need to judge if they are a match for this scholarship.
FAQs
What if I am unsure how "serious" someone is about writing for kids and teens?
Is talent/promise scored the same for someone who is "aspiring" as it is for someone who is "established"?
This is one reason we do ask participants to self-select where they are “on their journey” and to provide more information in their narrative responses. Think of the sample on a spectrum of promise. Would a scholarship help this person move forward? That may mean, move forward because there is something special about the concept, but they would need some support to learn the craft, or it might mean, move forward because they are writing highly exceptional stories, and this award could give them time and space to do more! We hope you’ll use your own talents to score for “promise” and think about what an award from Boyds Mills could help this writer or illustrator do next.
How do I score "talent" if a sample wasn't attached?
If a sample wasn’t attached most likely it is because this person is an illustrator and they’ve provided a link to their online portfolio or website for you to review their work. (If someone left off both a sample and/or a link, we’ve reached out to them from our staff.) That said, if you encounter a problem with the link or with their sample, please reach out to one of us.
What if I am unsure if I am the best person to review this submission and/or I know the person I am reviewing and fear I might be biased?
If you are unsure about how to score an applicant, please use messaging capabilities in Submittable to let us know. We will pass that applicant onto another reviewer. Please also feel free to bring this specific concern our Qustion and Answer session.
How are my scores used?
The combination of scores (seriousness of purpose and talent) will help us determine if the applicant continues on to additional rounds. Last year we received nearly 600 applicants for a limited number of scholarships. Your review of these applicantions help us narrow that pool to the most qualified applicants, so that we may award scholarships thougthfully and accordingly.
Additional Tools for Reviewers Created by Reviewers
Edith Campbell, fellow scholarship reviewer, provided a rubric that she created to help her navigate the seriousness of purpose and talent scoring. If this is helpful to you, please feel free to incorporate this into your process.
1: Minimal evidence no indication of care for children or their literature. Writing has no overarching purpose. No evidence of dedication to the craft. Needs basic support and instruction.
2: Emerging evidence – Shows limited or inconsistent demonstration of skill; requires significant guidance or support; Limited engagement with children is evidence. Is formulating a purpose for why they write.
3: Developing / Proficient evidence – Demonstrates adequate skill with some consistency; meets basic expectations wants to write for children, prior work for adults. Has committed to the practice of writing by attending workshops, book groups, or writing articles or self-publishing. May express a purpose and or passion for write.
4: Strong evidence – Consistently demonstrates high-level skill; exceeds expectations in several areas; work may feel derivative. Strong evidence of interest in youth and their literature. Provides deeper evidence of why they write.
5: Exceptional talent or promise – Demonstrates outstanding, distinctive ability; exceeds expectations consistently; shows originality, depth, and high potential for advanced achievement. Youth are the intentional focus of their work; there is evidence of curiosity, care for children. Exhibits a passion for literature and literacy.
Reviewer Appreciation: 2-Night Stay
We understand that caring for storytellers requires dedication and time away from your own creativity. As a token of our appreciation, we hope you will accept a two-night gift certificate from Boyds Mills for your own personal retreat or to share with another creative.
Please email our team at [email protected] to request your dates (as available) and redeem your stay.
In the past, some reviewers have wished to gift their stay, or need an online experience to fit their needs. Please contact our team if you need some flexibility with this offering. We are happy to work with you and thank you for your time and care.