The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are well under way and quickly approaching the end of our early bird savings entry deadline on June 20th.
The third annual Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The program is accepting entries until August 8th, 2009 for books with 2008 or 2009 copyrights or that were released in 2008 or 2009. They are open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market.
Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 36 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today.
The 2008 contest attracted 1,085 entries, and 138 Moonbeam medals were awarded to authors and publishers from 30 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and four countries overseas.
Early-bird entry fee deadline is June 20th ($85 fee); the final deadline is August 8, 2009 ($95 fee). **Note that this cut-off date is two weeks earlier than originally announced.**
Judging is based on content, originality, design, and production quality, with emphasis on social relevance and age appropriateness. Our judging panels include experts from the fields of editing, design, teaching, bookselling and library, and many categories are judged by teachers and their students. Results will be announced on September 15th, 2009 and presented during the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston, WV on October 10, 2009.
