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Nominations and Guidelines 
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Eligibility
Entry Guidelines
Book Awards Nomination Form
Judging Process
Final Award Panel Judges Position Overview
Judging Application Form
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21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards Categories
Children’s Literature - a book of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or a picture book (a book in which text and illustration combine to tell the story; Minnesota authors and illustrators are both eligible in this category) for children.
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 of fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel or poetry for teens or young adults.
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 work is essential to the work. Minnesota residents during 2008 are eligible. Additionally, non-residents are considered eligible if they meet all of the following requirements: living within the metropolitan area of a Minnesota city during 2008 (for example, Douglas County, WI is within the metropolitan area of Duluth), primarily working in Minnesota in 2008, and participating in a literary community that is primarily Minnesotan. Nominations for non-residents meeting all of these guidelines must include a written summary (no more than 1 page in length) detailing how the nominee meets these non-resident eligibility requirements. 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 their 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 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards must have an original publication date of 2008. 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 2007 copyright that were not published and available until 2008 may be submitted in the 21st annual Book Awards. A written summary explaining why a book with a 2007 copyright is eligible must be submitted along with the nomination form. Books published and available in late 2008 that have a delayed (2009) copyright may be submitted in the 21st or 22nd 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 $130 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 12, 2008.
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 21st 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.The Book Awards judging process has two parts:
- Selection of the finalists, culminating at the end of January. The panels for this preliminary round of judging are composed of Minnesota librarians and booksellers. Each of the eight award categories has a panel of three judges. The judges on these panels will meet on Saturday, January 31, 2009 to select the four finalists within their award category.
- Selection of category winners, in early March. Candidates for the final award panels may include, but are not limited to booksellers, librarians, publishers, reviewers, scholars, teachers, and writers. Each of the eight award categories has a panel of three judges. The judges on these panels will meet on Saturday, February 28, 2009 to select the winner within their award category.
For detailed information about the final award judge volunteer position, please review the position overview (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 Friday, November 28, 2008. 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.
Final Award Panel Judges Position Overview
Summary of Assignment:
The final round judges read the four books selected as finalists in their category, and then engage in thoughtful deliberation with the other two judges on the panel to select one award winner. Final round judges need to be comfortable evaluating and considering books as the potential award winner that may not be books they themselves would have selected as finalists had they been part of the preliminary round panel.
The Minnesota Book Awards is committed to having a broad base of experience on the panels including diversity of professional experience, educational background, ethnicity, age, sex, and location of residency in the state. Qualified candidates who have judged before are welcome to apply as are qualified candidates new to judging. This is a volunteer assignment, although mileage/travel to the judging session is reimbursable.
Support Provided to the Volunteer Judges:
- The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library provides judges with returnable copies of the books that have been selected as finalists.
- A detailed handout, including the criteria for evaluating books, is provided to all judges at the time they receive their set of finalist books.
- Each panel of judges at the February 28, 2009 winner selection meeting is assigned a facilitator who will be present throughout deliberation. The facilitator does not participate in the deliberation or selection process, but is there to ensure the discussion adheres to the Minnesota Book Awards criteria and guidelines, and that a decision is made in a timely manner.
Eligibility to Be a Volunteer Judge:
- To be considered for assignment as a volunteer judge, applicants must have professional or volunteer experience, or interests, which qualify them to be a sound evaluator of books in the award category they are interested in judging.
- Judges must be available to attend the selection meeting the afternoon of February 28, 2009. This meeting will be held at Open Book, the home of The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Each panel of three judges will meet at this time to select the category winner. Judges need to be well prepared, having thoroughly reviewed and taken notes on all of the finalist books in advance of this session. (Please note: notes should NOT be made directly in the copies of the books provided by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as books are to be returned the day of the panel session for use in Book Awards outreach activities.)
- Writers who have a book nominated for the Minnesota Book Awards in a given year may not serve as judges in that same year. Employees of publishers may only serve as judges for categories in which the publisher in question is not submitting a book that year. Any other potential conflict of interest situations should be immediately brought to the attention of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.
- Judges must have the ability to respect a policy of confidentiality (books under consideration are not to be discussed with anyone other than the other judges on the panel), keep the Minnesota Book Award criteria in mind at all times (literary merit, audience appeal, and originality), read beyond their own preferences and personal tastes, and engage in respectful deliberation.
Recognition of Volunteer Judges:
- Award winners will be announced at the Minnesota Book Awards gala on April 25, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Saint Paul Riverfront. Each judge will receive two complimentary tickets to this event.
- Judges will be acknowledged in the Minnesota Book Awards gala program.
Click here for a printable Word.doc of the Judge's Position Description.
Click here for a PDF of the Judge's Position Description.
Download the Minnesota Book Awards Final Round Judge Application Form. (click here for a PDF)
Return the completed application form no later than Friday, November 28, 2008 to: |
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The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Mayor’s office in the City of Saint Paul. Outreach partners for the Book Awards include the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), the Minnesota Library Association (MLA), and the Minnesota Department of Education - State Library Services.