January 29, 2015Uncategorized

New Author and Illustrator Awards & Selection Process Announced for the 8th Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards

New York, NY — January 29, 2015 – Every Child a Reader (ECAR) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) have announced the addition of three new categories in the 8^th annual Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens. In 2015, the three new award categories will be Children’s Choice Debut Author, Teen Choice Debut Author and Children’s Choice Illustrator Award. The five finalists for each of these awards will be determined by selection committees comprised of librarians, educators, booksellers, and children’s literature experts appointed by Every Child a Reader; winners will be determined by votes from kids and teens.

These three new awards are in addition to the existing Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year, Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year, Fifth to Sixth Grade Book of the Year, and Teen Book of the Year awards, and will replace the former Author of the Year & Illustrator of the Year awards, in which finalists were determined by national bestseller lists.

The finalists for the K-2, 3-4, and 5-6 Book of the Year categories will be selected by kids through the Children’s Choices Program, a joint project of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the CBC in which 12,500+ children from different regions of the United States read newly-published children’s and young adult trade books and vote for the ones they like best. Teen Book of the Year finalists will again be chosen by thousands of teens via voting conducted by Teenreads.com, open now through Monday, February 2 here.

Kids and teens will determine the winners in all 8 categories of the Children’s Choice Book Awards by voting online at ccbookawards.com from Tuesday, March 17, 2015 through Sunday, May 3, 2015. In 2014, over 1,200,000 votes were cast online by young readers. Winners will be announced during the 96^th annual Children’s Book Week (May 4-10, 2015).

Nicole Deming, Communications Director of the CBC and ECAR, says of the new awards:

We are excited to create the opportunity for emerging talent to be recognized in the Children’s Choice Book Awards for the first time this year, and to bring a variety of voices in the field of children’s literature to the table in the finalist selection process for our three new categories. As always, kids and teens will decide who wins — this program gives them the unique opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them on a national scale.

About the Children’s Choice Book Awards (CCBA)

Launched in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, the CCBA program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read more and cultivate a love of reading. More at ccbookawards.com/about.php.

About Children’s Book Week (CBW)

Established in 1919, CBW is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Each year, official events – which give kids the opportunity to connect with their favorite authors and illustrators in person – are held from coast to coast.In 2014, official events will be held in all 50 states for the first time in the initiative’s history. Learn more at bookweekonline.com.

About Every Child a Reader (ECAR)

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. Every Child a Reader creates and supports programs that strive to make the reading and enjoyment of children’s books an essential part of America’s educational and social aims and enhance public perception of the importance of reading. ECAR’s programs include Children’s Book Week, a nationwide celebration of books and reading, and  the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country; The Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens of all ages; and The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program, the country’s “Children’s Literature Laureate”. Please visit www.ecarfoundation.org.

About the Children’s Book Council (CBC)

The Children’s Book Council is the national nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses. The CBC is proud to partner with other national organizations on co-sponsored reading lists, educational programming, and literacy initiatives. Please visit www.cbcbooks.org for more information.

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