Finally! March On With Mentor Text Winners!
- rateyourstoryweb
- 22 hours ago
- 5 min read
This post has been a long time coming (my sincere apologies), but unfortunately it took me longer than expected to sort out the winners due to many reasons, including a tragic death in the family, a severe illness and moving, to name a few things that really threw me for a loop this year. But I'm glad to be getting back on track.
Here is the winner badge, which you can display on your website or social media. Please link back to RateYourStory.org if possible.
And now here's our winners, along with a re-reading or reading list for anyone who missed these fabulous posts! While the prizes aren't active, there are a lot of treasures to mine that will help inform your writing and pave your path to publication! Special thanks to the talented authors who shared this year! Please support them in any way you can.
March 1
Lynne Marie - Fair Weather Fairy Tales (Henny Penny’s Weather Worries)Â
Prize Winners: CharisPitCrew (Submission Opp), Debbie Moeller (1/2 Hour AMA), and
Sara Dykstra (RYS Speedpass)
March 2
Judy Cooper - Making Big Concepts Kid Relatable
Prize Winner: Karin Larson (PB MS Critique)
March 3Â
Alison McGauley - Crafting Compelling Picture Books With Curriculum Connections
Prize Winner: Stephanie Henson (A copy of Kenzie's Little Tree)
March 4
Beth Anderson - Character Challenges
Prize Winner: Sue Heavenrich (30 Min. AMA)
March 5Â
Namrata Agarwal - Cultural Picture BooksÂ
Prize Winner: VSubhat (30 Min AMA)
March 6Â
Mel Rosenberg - Jumping Right in
Prize Winner: Claire Freeland (AMA Session)
March 7
Ana Siqueira - Humor in PBs
Prize Winner: Pat Danna (30 Min AMA or Critique)
March 8Â
Danna Smith - Page Turn PowerÂ
Prize Winner: Donna Marx (Book Bundle)
March 9 - Inviting Engagement with Jeanette Fazzari Jones
Prize Winner: Alison McGauley (Critique)
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March 10
Selene Castrovilla - Writing the Unexpected
Prize Winner: Kayla Michelle (Critique)
March 11
Jolene Gutiérrez: Heart and History
Prize Winner: Christy Matthes (Copy of Unbreakable)
March 12
Evelyn Bookless: Meta Fiction Mentor TextsÂ
Prize Winner: Lorraine (Copy of Jinx)
March 13
Lauren H. Kerstein: Backmatter That Grabs the Reader as Much as the Text
Prize Winner: Leslie Hewson (30 Min. AMA)
March 14Â
Lynne Marie - Magic in Mentor TextsÂ
Prize Winners: Judy Sobanski (Submission Opportunity); Ceil Than (Ask Me Anything); Charis Pitcrew (Speedpass)
March 15
Leah Schanke - Writing for Children from a Fresh Perspective Â
Prize Winner: Barbara (Book or Query Critique)
March 16
Claire Freeland - Board BooksÂ
Prize Winner: Alina Gridley (Board Book Critique)
March 17
Donna Marx - Discussing Luck
Prize Winner: Cindy Sommer (Ask Me Anything)
March 18
Laura Lavoie - Surprising RhymeÂ
Prize Winner: Pat Brown (Signed Book)
March 19
Nancy Churnin - ORIGIN STORIES: children's books about the origin of beloved toys and holidaysÂ
Prize Winner: Natalie Tanner (Book and AMA)
March 20
Blair Williamson - Climate Fiction for the Very Young: Teaching Big Environmental Ideas Through Small, Powerful Stories
Prize Winner: Mona Pease (AMA)
March 21
Danielle Render Turmaud: The Magic in Books That Make Us Feel
Prize Winner: Amy Murrell (Manuscript Critique)
March 22
Mary Boone - Page Turning Secrets
Prize Winner: Sharon Dalgleish (Book or Critique)
March 23
Alayne K. Christian - Strong Verbs
Prize Winner: Milanka Reardon (Author Choice)
March 24Â
Erin Dealey: Squirrels, Porcupines & Bears --oh my! Mentor texts with animal charactersÂ
Prize Winner: Lisa Horn (Zoom or Book)
March 25
Lydia Lukidis- Finding the Right Voice & Tone in Nonfiction Picture Books
Prize Winner: Judy Cooper (AMA)
March 26Â
Lisa Rogers-It’s All in the Details: Specifics that Make Stories Stand Out
Prize Winner: Sharon McCarthy (Book)
March 27Â
Robin Currie - The Why of Board Books
Prize Winner: Karen Kovach (Board Book)
March 28
Helen H. Wu - Growing Global
Prize Winner: Alayne K. Christian (AMA with Lynne Marie)
March 29
Maria Wen Adcock - The Culture of a Name
Prize Winner: Anne LeBlanc (Book Prize)
March 30
Kari Ann Gonzalez - Gifting a Giggle
Prize Winner: Robin Currie (Critique)
March 31st -
Lynne Marie
Prize Winners: Pat Brown (Submission Opp); Cindy Sommer (1/2 Hour Mentor Session); Annie Young (Speedpass).
OMG all the fabulous prizes -- I only wish I were eligible :) And now, an extra. . .
Special Bonus Prize: If you have never experienced Rate Your Story Membershp or their Non-Member Speedpass Option (or haven't within the last five years) and have commented on our March On With Mentor Text Posts, we are gifting you one (1) Rate Your Story Speedpass to try out our services. Please note that due to a possible influx, turn-around times may exceed the usual one week. We are also offering a two-for-one to anyone who reads this post (pay $25.00, get feedback on two manuscripts).
PRIZE REDEMPTION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please send an e-mail to RYS.CyberOffice@gmail.com with this subject line (insert the name of the author and their prize and date of post):
[2026 March On] Prizewinner (Name of Author / Prize / Date of Post)
Please put any information the Author might need in the body of the e-mail. For example, if it is a book prize, put your name, address and phone number (for contact in case of a delivery issue).
If your prize is a critique, please send your manuscript or ask for a deadline to submit. Please respect any deadline the author may set. If your prize is an AMA or Mentor Session, ask when these should be scheduled by, as well as how to schedule.
My Prize(s): If your prize is a Speedpass, go to www.rateyourstory.org and follow the directions of submitting a speedpass with the exception of payment. If your prize is a submission opportunity, the deadline is August 30, 2026. Please e-mail for The Little Press submission address. If your prize is an AMA or Mentor Session with me, you can schedule here (https://bookme.name/LynneMarie/prepaid-mentor-sessions?from=master&source=user). If you didn't win, but want to try my services, schedule here (https://bookme.name/LynneMarie/the-picture-book-mechanic?from=master&source=user). Please note: Â No sessions 7/25-8/9 as I will be travelling (Hungary, Austria, Slovak Republic, Germany and Czech Republic) for my Travel Agent Job :) Feel free to follow my trip on Facebook!
CLAIM DEADLINE: Prizes must be claimed by August 8, 2026. If we don't hear from you by that time, we reserve the right to reassign any prize.
Send these e-mails to me at RYS.CyberOffice@gmail.com and I will forward them to the appropriate author.
It has been my pleasure to host this important event this year, and I look forward to hosting again in 2026. Please continue to circulate the links to those who might find them helpful.
AUTHORS: If you are an Author who is interested in participating next year, these posts are due by the end of December 2026. Please contact me at RYS.CyberOffice@gmail.com to choose your topic. You may request a date, which I will try to honor, but basically, these will be scheduled in the order in which they are submitted.
AUTHORS, WRITERS AND READERS: And for more Mentor Text Magic, please join us on Thursdays at 7 PM EDT/EST for our book chats. Find Mentor Text Talk on Facebook for updates if you are not a Member of Rate Your Story.
Zoom Room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9930468519
And of course, be sure to sign up for these blog posts so that you don't miss any important information about next year's event, as well as to enjoy informative posts on writing craft and Mentor Text Monday blogposts AND get notifications of our Editor and Agent First Pages AND Professional Series Workshops.
Thanks for learning with us!
Lynne Marie,
Director of Rate Your Story
Award-winning Author
Acquiring Editor at The Little Press
