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Nominations and Guidelines 
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Eligibility
Entry Guidelines
Book Awards Nomination Form
Judging Process
Judge's Position Descriptions
Judging Application Form
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22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards Categories
Children’s Literature - a picture book or easy reader for young children, typically combining text and illustration in telling the story (Minnesota authors and illustrators are both eligible in this category; fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books are all eligible).
General Nonfiction - a book of nonfiction, including, but not limited to, history, biography, science, nature, and cookbooks.
Genre Fiction - a book of fiction written in a popular genre or style, including mystery, detective, fantasy, romance, graphic novel and science fiction.
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction - a book of nonfiction which is primarily autobiographical in theme, or which includes a significant amount of personal material and/or imaginative reworking.
Minnesota – a book of nonfiction with a topic on Minnesota history, nature, social customs or nostalgia.
Novel & Short Story - a novel, novella, or short story collection.
Poetry - a book-length single poem or collection of poetry.
Young People's Literature - a book written for a middle grade or teen audience (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and graphic novels are eligible).
Eligibility
- To be eligible for a Minnesota Book Award, a book must be the work of a Minnesota writer, or “primary artistic creator” such as an illustrator or photographer whose contribution is essential to the work. Minnesota residents during 2009 are eligible. Birthplace, long-standing Minnesota connections, and Minnesota content in the book, are not relevant criteria for eligibility. A deceased author who met the eligibility requirements at the time of his/her death and whose book meets the eligibility requirements is eligible. Final determination of eligibility will be made by the Minnesota Book Awards.
- Previously published complete works are not eligible, nor are anthologies by multiple authors. Books which contain sections previously published, such as a collection of poetry or short stories with works previously published in a journal, are eligible. Editors and translators are not eligible.
- Entries in the 22nd annual Minnesota Book Awards must have an original publication date of 2009. Books must be assigned an ISBN (manuscripts and internet-only publications are not accepted, but self-published books meeting all other criteria are eligible). Books with a 2008 copyright that were not published and available until 2009 may be submitted in the 22nd annual Book Awards. A written summary explaining why a book with a 2008 copyright is eligible must be submitted along with the nomination form. Books published and available in late 2009 that have a delayed (2010) copyright may be submitted in the 22nd or 23rd annual Book Awards, but not both.
Entry Guidelines
- An entry form must be completed for each title submitted.
- Books may be submitted by anyone willing to pay the entry fee and provide the reading copies requested. This includes but is not limited to a book’s author, publisher, or agent.
- An entry fee of $40 per title is required. Publishers submitting four or more titles need only pay an entry fee of $150 for all titles submitted. The entry fee may be paid online with a credit card or by check and sent via regular mail. A notation should appear on each check or credit card payment indicating the title of the corresponding entry (or indicating the number of submissions, in the case of multiple entries). Entry fees paid by check should be sent to:
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
325 Cedar Street, Suite 555
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055
Phone: 651-366-6497 Fax: 651-222-1988
Email: mnbookawards@thefriends.org
- Each book must be submitted in only one of the categories listed above. Final determination of the appropriate category for each entry will be made by the Minnesota Book Awards.
- Each entry must include five (5) non-returnable copies of the entered book. Books should be mailed or can be delivered on business days between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library at the address above. To be eligible, nomination forms, books and entry fees must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2009.
For more information about nominating a book, please contact The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library at the email address or phone number listed above.
Nomination Form
Download, print and complete the 22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards Nomination Form. (click here for a PDF)
Return the completed form with entry fee and five |
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Pay your entry fee online now using PayPal.
PLEASE NOTE: Submission will not be complete until The Friends has received all required items: completed nomination form, $40 entry fee, and five (5) copies of the book for each title submitted.
A confirmation email will be sent to the author's email address, as well as to the publisher contact email.
Judging Process
Selection of the Minnesota Book Awards finalists and winners is done by panels of volunteer judges. Great care is given to ensure diversity of background and experience on the panels. To be considered for a judge assignment, applicants must be well qualified to evaluate books within the category they wish to judge. Candidates may include, but are not limited to, booksellers, librarians, publishers, reviewers, scholars, teachers, and writers.The Book Awards judging process has two parts:
- Preliminary Round: Selection of the finalists, culminating at the end of January. Each of the eight award categories has a panel of three judges. The judges on these panels will meet on Saturday, January 30, 2010 to select the four finalists within their award category.
- Final Round: Selection of category winners, in early March. Each of the eight award categories has a panel of three judges. The judges on these panels will meet on Saturday, March 6, 2010 to select the winner within their award category.
For detailed information about the judge volunteer position, please review the position overview for each round (below). Individuals interested in volunteering to be a judge are invited to complete the judge application form (click here). The deadline for applying is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library will acknowledge the receipt of all applications. Once the selection of judges has occurred, all applicants will receive a communication confirming whether or not they have received a judge assignment.
Detailed guidelines and criteria for evaluation of the nominated books and for the panel process are provided by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, as are facilitators for the January and March panel sessions. Both panel sessions will take place at Open Book, home of The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
Award Panel Judge Position Overview
Click here for a printable Word.doc of the Preliminary Round Judge's Position Description.
Click here for a PDF of the Preliminary Round Judge's Position Description.
Click here for a printable Word.doc of the Final Round Judge's Position Description.
Click here for a PDF of the Final Round Judge's Position Description.
Download the Minnesota Book Awards Judge Application Forms.
Return the completed application form no later than Wednesday, October 14, 2009 to: |
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The Minnesota Book Awards is a project of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library,
in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the City of Saint Paul. Outreach partners
and supporting organizations include: MELSA, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minnesota
Department of Education—State Library Services, and Minnesota Educational Media Organization.