Ever wondered what it’s like to be a published illustrator? Kahani magazine is looking for a few good artists to illustrate stories for an upcoming issue of the children’s literary magazine. 

“We just wrapped up our First Annual Young Writers Contest,” said Kahani editor Monika Jain. “We are now casting a net with this national art contest because we need artists to illustrate the winning short stories,” Jain added.
Kahani’s First Annual Young Illustrators Contest is open to all children between the ages of 6-8 and 9-11. Contestants have to illustrate one of two short stories that won the magazine’s writing competition. The stories, with their corresponding art templates, can be found at www.kahani.com. The deadline for all entries, which must be mailed to Kahani, is Wednesday, March 15, 2006. 

Ruth Jeyaveeran, the illustrator behind The Happiest Tree, The Road to Mumbai, and the upcoming The Spectacular Adventures of Sophie and Sebastian will judge the entries for the Kahani art contest. 

Leena Chawla, marketing director at Kahani, says the response to the writing contest was overwhelming. “So many South Asian parents wrote us to say they were so pleased to have a writing contest like this. We hope all parents encourage their children to enter the illustration contest,” Chawla added. Contestants do not have to be Kahani subscribers to be eligible. 

The winning stories and illustrations will be published in the May issue of Kahani. The top writers and illustrators will also receive a check for $50 each. Other exciting prizes for 2nd and 3rd place winners include books, with personalized inscriptions, from writers Varsha Bajaj, Anjali Banerjee, Dr. Vanita Braver, Sonali Fry, Anu Garg, Uma Krishnaswami, T.V. Padma, and Mitali Perkins. 

Kahani is a national South Asian literary magazine for children. The quarterly publication features original short stories, articles, reviews and comics all written and illustrated by South Asian talent. Kahani is published in Boston. 
For complete rules and an entry form, log onto www.kahani.com.