2013 New Voices Award Winner Announced!

May I share the limelight with you, Mr. Magnifico? © 2013 Sylvia Liu

Today I am beyond excited to announce that I WAS SELECTED AS THE WINNER OF THE LEE AND LOW 2013 NEW VOICES AWARD (click the link to see the announcement). So excited that fresh words fail me so I shall resort to cliches:


I'm over the moon

Words cannot describe….

I am jumping with joy


SQUEEEE!!!




The prize for winning this contest is $1000 and a publishing contract with Lee and Low Books, an award-winning publisher that focuses on multicultural stories. My picture book story is A MORNING WITH GONG GONG, in which a grandfather and his granddaughter share their love and humor while teaching each other their respective talents in t'ai chi and yoga. 

I'm truly honored to be a part of this award, which aims to increase the number of authors of color in children's publishing.

In a bit of a twist, my first book contract will be as an author rather than an illustrator. I have considered myself an illustrator for longer than an author, but it was because I wanted to illustrate my own stories that I started studying and figuring out how to write them.


This wouldn't have been possible without the support of my family and my critique group. I'll provide more details in the future. But for now, let's dance around the room and celebrate!




If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: