There's still time for young artists to enter Kahani's Second Annual Young Illustrators Contest. The task is to illustrate the prize-winning stories penned by young writers Shivani, age 7, and Varun, age 11 (the story contests were judged by editor Sangeeta Mehta of Simon Pulse). Lara Lakshmi, the talented artist behind the upcoming picture book, A Friend by Any Other Name, will judge the illustrations.
The text for each story has already been laid out carefully and the illustration spots and sizes clearly marked. Download the template for Varun's story, "Hey! Is That A Yellow Crocodile?" here, and for Shivani's story, "The Clever Cousins," here. Entries for the art contest will be divided into the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups, but kids may illustrate either story, and don't need to be of South Asian origin to enter. Attach an entry form to the artwork and mail by Saturday, March 31, 2007.
The first place stories and illustrations will be published in the Spring 2007 issue of Kahani. The winners will also get a check for $50 each. Second place winners will receive a $50 gift basket, courtesy of Barefoot Books, a Cambridge-based publisher of multicultural literature. Third place finishers will each get a $25 Borders gift card. See last year's winners here: Age Group 6-8 | Age Group 9-11.