Category Archives: Awards

ALMA 2023 Laureate

Congratulations to the 2023 laureate, Laurie Halse Anderson!

Laurie Halse Anderson is one of America’s foremost writers for young adults. Her breakthrough novel, Speak, was published in 1999 and has been translated into many languages and adapted for film. In her richly expressive novels for young people she gives voice to the adolescent experience with sometimes brutal honesty. The yearning for love and belonging is a recurring theme for Anderson.

The jury’s motivation:

“In her tightly written novels for young adults, Laurie Halse Anderson gives voice to the search for meaning, identity, and truth, both in the present and the past. Her darkly radiant realism reveals the vital role of time and memory in young people’s lives. Pain and anxiety, yearning and love, class and sex are investigated with stylistic precision and dispassionate wit. With tender intensity, Laurie Halse Anderson evokes, moods, and emotions and never shies from even the hardest things.”

Apply for Literacy Awards

Applications are being accepted for the 2021 Library of Congress Literacy Awards from Jan. 15 to March 5. The awards are made possible through the generosity of philanthropist David M. Rubenstein.

The Literacy Awards — established by the Library of Congress and Rubenstein — were first conferred in 2013 to honor and support organizations working to promote literacy both in the United States and abroad. The awards encourage the continuing development of innovative methods for promoting literacy and the dissemination of the most successful practices.

The awards are intended to draw public attention to the importance of literacy and the need to promote literacy and encourage reading. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will make the final selection of the prize winners with recommendations from an advisory board of literacy experts.

Three prizes will be awarded in 2021:

  • The David M. Rubenstein Prize ($150,000) is awarded for an outstanding and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels. The prize is awarded to an organization based either in the United States or abroad that has demonstrated exceptional and sustained depth in its commitment to the advancement of literacy.
  • The American Prize ($50,000) is awarded for a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels or the national awareness of the importance of literacy. The prize is awarded to an organization that is based in the United States.
  • The International Prize ($50,000) is awarded for a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels in a country other than the United States. The prize is awarded to an organization that is based either in the United States or abroad.

Other organizations will be honored for their successful practices in various areas of literacy promotion.

The application rules and a downloadable application form may be accessed at read.gov/literacyawards. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 5, 2021.

A live webinar on the application process will be held on Jan. 28 from 3 – 4 p.m. ET. Please visit www.read.gov/literacyawards/apply.html for details about registering. Attendees must register in advance. The webinar will be recorded and made available on the Literacy Awards webpage.

The Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program is administered by the Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office, a unit of the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement at the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

 

Library of Congress Literacy Awards

Through the generosity of philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program honors nonprofit organizations that have made outstanding contributions to increasing literacy in the United States or abroad. The awards also encourage the continuing development of innovative methods for promoting literacy and the wide dissemination of the most effective practices. They are intended to draw public attention to the importance of literacy, and the need to promote literacy and encourage reading.

Since 2013, the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program has awarded $2,247,250 million in prizes to 136 institutions in 36 countries. By recognizing current achievements, the awards seek to enable any organization or program that does not operate on a for-profit basis to strengthen its involvement in literacy and reading promotion and to encourage collaboration with like-minded organizations.

Prizes

The David M. Rubenstein Prize ($150,000) is awarded for an outstanding and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels to an organization based either inside or outside the United States that has demonstrated exceptional and sustained depth in its commitment to the advancement of literacy. The organization will meet the highest standards of excellence in its operations and services.

The American Prize ($50,000) is awarded for a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels in the United States or the national awareness of the importance of literacy to an organization that is based in the United States.

The International Prize ($50,000) is awarded for a significant and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels in a country other than the United States to an organization that is based either inside or outside the United States.

Best Practice Honorees ($5,000): Each year up to 15 organizations that apply in the three major prize categories are recognized for their successful implementation of a specific literacy promotion practice.

Winners

The 2020 winners and their efforts were celebrated in December, and are showcased at http://read.gov/literacyawards/index.html. Application information for the 2021 literacy awards will be available at this same website by late January.

Why Apply?

  • Receive cash awards and public recognition for your work.
  • Network with other award recipients.

UNESCO International Literacy Prizes

Since 1967, UNESCO International Literacy Prizes have rewarded excellence and innovation in the field of literacy. Over 495 projects and programmes undertaken by governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world have been recognized. Through these prestigious Prizes, UNESCO seeks to support effective literacy practices and encourages the promotion of dynamic literate societies.

Every year, the Prizes are organized around a specific theme. This year’s focus is on: ‘Teaching and learning literacy: The role of educators and changing pedagogies’.

In this context, you will find attached the call to nominate candidates for the 2020 edition of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes, inviting you to submit applications for this year (see attached documents).

The application and nomination process will take place via an online platform. An applicant can request the access to the online application form through this link:www.unesco.org/ilp/account. The deadline for applications is 28 June 2020 and for the nominations is 12 July 2020.

You will also find relevant information on the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes website: http://en.unesco.org/themes/literacy/prizes

Any enquiries with regard to the application and nomination process should be addressed to the Secretariat of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes, located within the Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development of the UNESCO Education Sector (phone: +33 1 45 68 08 59; e-mail: literacyprizes@unesco.org).

Thank you in advance for your kind attention.

Yours sincerely,

Secretariat of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes

 

Library of Congress Literacy Awards Call

We are pleased to share with you the call for applications for the 2020 U.S. Library of Congress (LOC) Literacy Awards. Applications will be accepted for the 2020 Library of Congress Literacy Awards beginning January 13, and the deadline for applications is March 6.

There are 3 separate awards: The David M. Rubenstein Prize, The American Prize, and the International Prize. Please refer to the web page at http://read.gov/literacyawards and to the attached PDF file for further information and instructions.

National Book Awards 2019

The National Book Foundation has announced its book award finalists for 2019. In the young people’s literature, the finalists include: Pet (A. Emezi), Look Both Ways (J. Reynolds), Patron Saints of Nothing (R. Ribay), Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All (L. Ruby). Finalists in four other categories have also been chosen: in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and translated literature. Winners will be announced November 11. For details, go to https://www.nationalbook.org/awards-prizes/national-book-awards-2019/?cat=ypl

ALA Honors Writers for Youth

Over 20,000 librarians and exhibitors attended the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Washington, DC this June. One of its major strands, as usual, was outstanding authors for youth.

The year marks the 50th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Award, which honors African American authors of children’s literature. Kwame Alexander and Jacqueline Woodson spoke at the King ceremony, which was held at the Library of Congress. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919, written by Claire Hartfield, is the 2019 King Author Book winner. Past recipients of the award were also lauded.

Now in its 21st year, the International Latino Book Awards recognized 261 finalist authors in 95 categories. The books, by and about Latinos, may be written in English, Spanish or Portuguese. The honored authors themselves live in the United States and 18 other countries. The complete list of awardees is available at http://mpoweringstudents.org/awards/.

Attendees were treated to a strong, diverse lineup of speakers from the show’s main stages, including bestselling poet and middle grade author Jason Reynolds. The auditorium speaker series included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, bestselling Nigerian-American writer Tomi Adeyemi, NBC News reporter Mariana Atencio, sociologist and author Eric Klinenberg (who appeared with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden), Today host Hoda Kotb, comics legend Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, author Nnedi Okorafor (best known for her African-themed sci-fi novels), and actor and activist George Takei.

For an complete list of ALA youth media awards, go to http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/youthmediaawards/alayouthmediaawards.