FAQs

 

ARE THERE TERMS + CONDITIONS?

Yes - you can read them here.

 

WHAT WILL I RECEIVE IF I AM AWARDED A MIRROR MENTORSHIP?

  • Delivery of a shared project, facilitated by Scribble, to provide an end-to-end experience of how a literary work moves from a creative concept to a published work

  • Career pathway guidance and profile development to develop new bilingual work for children aged 0-14 years

  • Financial support via an artist’s stipend of A$4,000 to support your practice

  • 40+ mentorship hours with a dedicated industry professional who holds an established practice in Australian children’s literature

  • Development of your own literary practice inspired by mentoring, webinars and peer support

  • Acquisition of skills, knowledge and experience relevant to your career aspirations

  • Stronger personal and professional relationships, and networks, in the Australian and international books and publishing industries

  • Connections to peers and the industry both nationally and internationally through career pathway guidance, networking and profile development;

  • Industry-specific webinars including publishing, marketing and other related topics

  • Market development opportunities both nationally and internationally 

  • Publishing opportunities both nationally and internationally 

  • Inclusion in an industry-specific online directory 

  • Support by Lost in Books bookselling and Scribble publishing teams

  • Total monetary and in-kind support valued at A$10,000+


WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

The MIRROR Mentoring program is for literary artists who: 

  • make literature for children (0 - 14 years), and 

  • come from historically marginalised communities, that are under-represented in published fiction for children, and who are interested in creating bilingual works in English and in languages other than English.

 

Who will be looking at my application?

An Industry Panel of diverse, experienced and established industry professionals who are committed to increasing diverse perspectives in published fiction for children. Check out our ‘Panelists’ tab to read all about them.

 

WHAT WILL I BE ASKED IN THE APPLICATION?

We’ve tried to make our application process as simple as possible. We’ll be asking you to confirm:

  • Which language or languages you use in your work

  • What kind of artist you are applying as

  • Your intention to create bilingual Australian works for children’s audiences

Before starting your application, you will also need to prepare:

  • A brief summary of your relevant experience and where you think your career is heading (max. 300 words)

  • The age and characteristics of your ideal audience (max. 200 words)

  • The skills you want to develop through the MIRROR Mentorship Program (max. 200 words)

  • A sample of your creative work (max. 20 pages with a minimum of 400 words or, alternatively, a detailed synopsis or storyboard of your work)

  • A translation of your creative work, if applicable

  • A short bio, headshot and image that best represents your work for marketing purposes

If you would like to preview the questions on the application before you get started, you can download an application guide here.

If you have any questions about the application, or have trouble uploading or submitting any material, please contact art@thinkanddotank.net.au

 

I am a writer. Is it okay if my work contains English?

Yes. As long as you use at least one language other than English as well.

 

I want to share my written work with you but I am WORRIED you won’t understand it – it is not in English.

Please do submit your work! If you have a translation, please provide it. Translations can be provided with your application and are not counted towards the sample work page limits or word counts. 


If you don’t have an English translation, we will ask for your permission to find a reader to advise the panel (they may be someone of your choosing). Please ensure you provide the work in a Word Document, not as a PDF, to better enable translation.


I am an author. What are you looking for?

We’re looking for new works, and works in development, that are designed to be held in the hands of children aged 0-14 years. Author entries will be accepted in any form. 

Your entry will be assessed according to:

  • literary and artistic merit

  • developmental potential

  • originality of the idea and its execution

Please let us admire your talents through high-quality samples of your work. You can submit a maximum of 20 pages of writing via an online upload. Accepted formats are word, pdf, excel, jpg, png and mp4. You will also be able to submit additional work via URL.

 

I am an illustrator. What are you looking for? 

We’re looking for new works, and works in development, that are designed to be held in the hands of children aged 0-14 years. Illustrator entries will be accepted in any form. 

Your entry will be assessed according to:

  • literary and artistic merit

  • developmental potential

  • originality of the idea and its execution

Please let us admire your talents through high-quality samples of your work. You can submit a maximum of 10 illustrations via an online upload. Accepted formats are word, pdf, excel, jpg, png and mp4. You will also be able to submit additional work via URL.

 

I am a literary translator. What are you looking for?

Translator entries will be accepted across any language, including First Nations languages.

Your entry will be assessed according to:

  • literary and artistic merit

  • developmental potential

  • originality of the idea and its execution

Please let us admire your talents through high-quality samples of your work. You can submit a maximum of 20 pages of translation via an online upload. Accepted formats are word, pdf, Excel. You will also be able to submit additional work via URL.

 

What if I fit into more than one category?

No problem! Just tick as many that apply in your submission and provide supporting documentation that shows us your best work. Your samples should not exceed the maximum limits for each form.

 

I don’t speak English. Should I apply?

You will need basic English, or access to a translator, to apply for this opportunity, in order to exchange perspectives with the mentors and other artists in the program. If there’s someone you can bring along on the journey with you, who is willing to interpret and translate (e.g. friend, family member), please apply.

 

Can I apply with other people, or as a collective?

The program has been designed for one-on-one support. If you are part of a collective, consider which of you from the collective would benefit most from the investment of time and effort in this program. 

We will consider individual applications only, but you are welcome to include examples of work that you have produced as part of a collective in your application, provided written consent has been obtained and you can provide that to us if we ask for it. Make sure the panel understands what your own contribution is.

 

I am under 18 years old. Can I still apply?

No. Candidates will only be considered if they are 18 years of age or older. 

If you are under-18, consider these opportunities in our programs: http://lostinbooks.com.au/map

 

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF ME?

If you are accepted into the MIRROR Mentorship Program, you should be prepared to commit to regular meetings with your mentor/s and the group; and to share your work/s in progress so that you can receive support and constructive feedback. 

We expect that you will work online and face-to-face (where applicable and dependent on COVID-safe protocols) and progress your work through feedback from your mentor/s. While your schedule will be determined in partnership with your mentor, please consider your existing commitments when applying and before committing to a minimum 40 hours of mentorship throughout the year-long program.

 

AM I REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A NEW WORK READY FOR PUBLICATION BY THE TIME THE PROGRAM ENDS?

While we don’t expect you to make a publication-ready work by the time the program ends, we strongly encourage applicants who are driven to progress to the next stage in their careers through this mentorship as we are eager for your work to reach your audience. 

 

PLEASE HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND ANY LEGAL OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY QUESTIONS. FOR INSTANCE, DOES THIS PROGRAM INTEND TO TAKE AN OPTION OVER ANY WORK I DEVELOP DURING THE PROGRAM?

You can read about the ways in which we are committed to protecting your intellectual property rights here at our Terms and Conditions.

 

WHAT PRINCIPLES OR AGREEMENT GOVERNS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MENTOR?

If successful, you will be asked to enter into an agreement with your mentor and with Think+DO Tank Foundation and Scribble to document: 

  • a respectful and fruitful relationship

  • your development objectives

  • mutual expectations and time commitment

  • the development of any new work and your intellectual property rights

  • acknowledgment of this program, its funders, and the creative mentors.

MY FILE ISN’T UPLOADING. WHAT DO I DO?

Try to compress your file by zipping it. If that does not work, please contact us at art@thinkanddotank.net.au and we can sort it out with you.

i’m a published author, can i apply? i’m not published, can i apply?

You do not need to have published in order to be eligible for this program. It is a mentorship program designed to build the capacity of emerging artists in Australia. In the application form, we will ask if you have published anything. This lets us see a sample of your work, but you will also be able to upload non-published samples of your work, too. If you have already been successful getting publication in the children’s literature genre in Australia, this might not be the opportunity for you. If you are applying in order to have an already completed manuscript published, this is not the right opportunity for you.

WHEN ARE APPLICATIONS DUE?

Applications must be submitted (fully uploaded and finished) by midnight on 6 May 2022. Please allow adequate time for files to upload and to complete the questionnaire.

MY question isn’t here. who can i ask?

First, head over to the Terms and Conditions. If you can’t answer your question there, you can email art@thinkanddotank.net.au

 

Who funds this program?

MIRROR Literary Mentoring Program has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

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