Meet Our Judges: Sheila Smallwood, Creative Director

We’re pleased to have Sheila Smallwood join our jury panel for our Picture Book Show.

Sheila has spent the last twenty-four years in children’s and young adult publishing. Graduating with a degree in illustration and graphic design from Carnegie Mellon University she started work as an art assistant at Little, Brown and Company before rising to Creative Director. A hands-on art director she was responsible for all creative aspects of publishing. In 2003 she was recruited by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to work on their Books for Young Readers titles rising to Vice President in 2014.

She oversaw the design, art direction and management of all company young reader titles supervising teams in both Boston and New York. She was responsible for nearly 300 titles each year including teen fiction, non-fiction and media tie-ins.

Over her career she has collaborated with authors and illustrators including Toni Morrison, Chris Van Allsburg, Pamela Zagarenski, Beth Krommes and Melissa Sweet on award-winning and notable picture books. Her designs have won numerous awards in The Society of Illustrators Show in New York and The New York Book Show. She’s won the prestigious Caldecott Honor Award twice for her picture book designs for Red Sings from Treetops and Sleep Like A Tiger. She is currently pursuing her own creative projects in Boston.

What Sheila will be looking for: “I would be looking at the quality of the execution: how powerful or dynamic the expression comes across in the execution of the art—in color and content—and how well it is conveyed to the reader; and then the carry through consistency of the characters from page to page and how well the art enhances the text/story.”

3x3 International Illustration Annual Show No.15

The 3x3 International Illustration Awards Show is open to all illustrators in all countries. There is a separate jury for each of our three shows: Professional, Student and Picture Book. For full details download our Call for Entries pdf, to enter go to our homepage.

Deadline: March 23, 2018