You’ve all worked hard getting your entries ready…and it shows! I’m happy dancing for the finalists and am excited for the agent and editor round to start on Monday, May 4. The judges and I love your entries. We can’t wait to share them with at least 47 agents, editors and art directors…and cheer you on. 💖

PBParty brings me so much sunshine. I love helping make publishing dreams come true. I couldn’t possibly do all this alone. Ninja Superstar/Judge Sylvia Chen puts so much into judging and creating spreadsheet magic that not only makes it easier and more fun to see how voting is going…but saves me tons of time doing everything by hand. I always double check dates with Sylvia before planning the PBParty contest dates…because I can’t imagine the contest without her.

Thank you to the hard-working judges who put so much heart and thought into every vote! This wouldn’t be possible without their hard work (I saw them on the PBParty spreadsheet day and night). Along with Sylvia, they truly are a dream team, and I’m honored to work with them. Thank you Marietta Apollonio, Aixa Perez-Prado, Jenna Waldman, Stacey Byer, Gabriele Davis, and Brian Kirby. 💖In the middle of our duke-it-out-for-final-spots Zoom (which was 7 hours long and finished around 2 am), we recorded a message for everyone who entered. Passcode: p*!gQ&p0

I’m sending hugs to those who need them. (((Hugs))) Having to turn away so many incredible entries hurts my heart. I know how hard it is to be hopeful for a contest and not make it in. I remember how crushed I was when I didn’t make it into a mentorship program. But I kept trying and hoping and signed with my agent soon after! Keep writing, revising, taking classes, workshops, etc. and I know you’ll get that magical YES. Fingers and toes crossed for you…and tons of fairy dust.

Please know that you are so talented–your entries brought us so many laughs, heartfelt tears, new knowledge, and tons of joy. We had to pass up lots of wonderful ones. Some were so, so close to being ready. Others could use more revision – maybe they were too wordy or the concept was great but the excerpt needed more polish. And some were good and could possibly land an agent or editor, but didn’t feel like they’d stand out enough in the showcase. I’m so proud of each of you for entering! We hope your manuscripts are way stronger between all the PBParty tips and making sure the first 70 words dazzle.

I hope reading through the entries starting May 4 will help sharpen your writing and query skills even more. So many writers have told us they learned how to write a query from the finalists…which is one of the reasons we keep it open to the public. It’s like taking an intensive in strong beginnings, language that sings, great hooks, amazing writing, and professional queries.

It’s not too early to start working toward next year’s contest! It’s always wonderful seeing writers and author/illustrators getting stronger and stronger every year until they become a finalist. Keep working with your critique groups to make your manuscripts shine as brightly as possible. You can also get fresh eyes each month on the PBParty New Draft Challenge & Critique Train. The next one is May 21 – 23. Maybe the draft you write during the challenge will be the PB that gets you an agent/editor!

*Honorable mentions will be shared on my website after the showcase ends.

It was exciting to see lots of PBParty honorable mentions in the queries…and some of them are 2026 finalists! Each time you polish up manuscripts and send new hope out, it could be a huge step closer to a YES. And we can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎉

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And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for…

Here are the titles of the 2026 PBParty finalists!

This is the order they’ll appear in the agent/editor round. They’re in different colors below just to make this long list even more exciting. 🙂

Olivia Huang and Luna Park are Not the Same Person
Wild Threads
Who Nose Best
S Is For S’agapo
Strolling Down the Forest Trail
Love In A Yukata
Diversitea
Out for Blood: A Mosquito Misadventure
A Work of Heart: How Maly and Jack Gibbon Built a Beating, Breathing, Life-Saving Machine
Boogie Down: The Birth of Hip Hop

The Little Girl Who Took Her Time Everywhere
One Night Only: A Paw-formance for Pups
The End
Meka & Yari
Luva Stitches Precious Memories Together
Terry Beary the Fierce Fairy: A Letter to Every Kid Who Thinks I Ate the Tooth Fairy
Up We Go! Amazing Elevators
Fly Roommatezzz
Maya and The Missing Garlands
The Flashy Life of Pyralis the Firefly

When Don Lost His Key
How Not To Catch a Fish
Snooze: The Loud Story of Alarm Clocks and Nine More Minutes
Beatriz Bruja
How to Be a Marmot (In Five Easy Steps!)
Kiko’s Broken Bowl
Skunk Is Stuck!
The Mini Teacher
The Apple Hunter: How Tom Brown Saved America’s Forgotten Apple Trees
Watching From the Stands

Chicken Legs And Too Many Eggs
Star Soup
Code Name: Little Red
The Glass Gardener
Rub – The story of an Angry Eraser
If I Had a Bakunawa
Together on Cloud 37
Plucked
To Pack a Life in a Suitcase
What Is This?

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Here are the titles from author/illustrators who will be featured in the Illustration Showcase (each will have a number and two illustrations in the showcase…editors and agents will request by number).

Dog Tired
BRRR!!!
A Little Taller
A Little Blob of Molecules and Goo
The Snow Baby
Penelope and the Perfect Pretty Pen
Bo Town
On Obāchan’s Lap
The Pig Who Wouldn’t Trump
The Grump of the Swamp

Beautiful Mess
Rumi the Rambunctious Ballerina
Tiny Tree Frog
Todd Is Odd
Oscar’s Roses
No Sleep For Little Owl
Goodnight, Jester – Goodnight, Knight
Sir Dad
Making the Team
Journey To West- The Unsung Warrior

The Sleepy Bear
Ruby’s Flower Power
The Orchestra Garden

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Congratulations!

Even though we don’t include names…you’re all welcome to shout out to the world which entry is yours. You can link to it once it’s up, too!

Please make sure people know comments on entries are only for the agents and editors (but we can all cheer for you on social media). Finalists who would like to reply to a request may comment, too.

If you’re a finalist, look for an e-mail from me by Friday night. If you don’t see it, please check your Spam. If it isn’t hiding there, contact me so I can share important information with you. 🙂

Important: A little before midnight on May 3 I’ll make the entries go live, one by one, to make sure they’re in the right order. They will probably ALL show up in e-mail notifications if you’re subscribed to my blog. You can easily follow some of your favorites that way…or delete all the e-mails and just look at them on my website. Whatever works best for you. I can’t wait for you to see them. 🙂

So much goes on behind the scenes to make PBParty a success every year. In addition to all the hard working judges, I want to thank Callie Dean for putting together amazing Ranking Parties to help everyone prepare and PBParty Designer, author/illustrator Melissa Escobar, for creating the PBParty contest logo, invitations, discussion cards, etc. I love them so much. 🙂

If you aren’t on the finalist list…what are your next steps? A mentorship? Class? Awesome new goals? I’m crossing my fingers and toes and hope your YES is around the corner. (((Hugs)))

Huge congrats, PBParty finalists! I’m sending tons of good luck fairy dust your way. How are you going to celebrate?