Nominations Sought For 2004

CT Book Awards

HARTFORD — The Connecticut Center for the Book at Hartford Public Library will present the Connecticut book Awards to recognize and honor those authors, illustrators, and designers who represent the best books in or about Connecticut.

It is the mission of the Connecticut Center for the Book to celebrate books, writers and readers who engender and sustain the life of the imagination and to highlight authors, illustrators, printers, publishers, and the literary heritage of the state. The Center is are an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

To be eligible for consideration, authors, illustrators or designers must live or have lived in the state, or the work must be set in Connecticut; books must have been published between January 1 and December 31, 2003; anthologies are acceptable if all authors are Connecticut-based; and authors, illustrators or designers may enter more than one book per year.

Categories consist of: Biography or Memoir; Children’s Literature – Author; Children’s Literature – Illustrator; Design; Fiction; Non-Fiction; and Poetry.

Each genre will have its own judging panel. One judge will come from each of the following categories for each panel: scholar; publisher or bookseller; journalist; librarian or educator; and writer.

Judges may reassign a title to a category deemed more appropriate than that for which is was originally submitted. Judges will defer to the committee chair to determine the winner in the case of a tie vote in any category. Awards will not be made if there are insufficient entries in a given category.

Nominations must be postmarked by June 15, 2004. Finalists will be announced in early October. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 7. An award will also be presented for Lifetime Achievement in Service to the Literary Community at the November ceremony.

The Connecticut Center for the Book will use the book cover, excerpts from the text or graphics, and publicity notices for books submitted in any promotion of its Connecticut Book Award.

Direct any queries to Kat Lyons, the coordinator for Connecticut Center for the Book at Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford CT 06103; send email to Klyons@hplct.org; or call her at 860-695-6320.