The Florida Book Awards has kicked off its seventh annual competition with a call for entries in nine categories.
Established in 2006 and now the most comprehensive state book awards program in the nation, the contest recognizes and celebrates the year’s best books penned by full-time residents of the Sunshine State (with the exception of submissions to the Florida Nonfiction and Visual Arts categories, whose authors may live elsewhere.)
The contest categories include General Fiction,Young Adult Literature, Children’s Literature, Florida Nonfiction, Poetry, Popular Fiction, Visual Arts, Spanish Language Book, and a new category for General Nonfiction. Entries, which can be submitted by anyone (e.g. publisher, author or literary agent), must have both an original publication date between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2012, and an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Applicants are encouraged to submit their books into competition any time after the competition is launched, and as soon as possible after books are officially published. All entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, 2012 (this is not a postmark deadline). Three-person juries –– including members of co-sponsoring organizations, subject experts from the faculties of Florida colleges and universities, and previous Florida Book Award winners –– will choose up to three finalists in each of nine categories. In each category, the jury may award one Gold, Silver and Bronze medal.
The Florida Book Awards competition is coordinated through the Florida State University Libraries, with the support of book lovers from across the state. New co-directors Andrew Frank and Lisa Tendrich Frank are enthusiastic about their involvement with the Florida Book Awards.
“In its seven years, the program has honored many of the Sunshine State’s best authors, Andrew Frank said. “It is already the nation’s most comprehensive statewide program, and with the addition of a new category the program promises to bring more distinction to our talent-rich state.”
Co-sponsors of the competition include humanities organizations from across the state such as the Florida Center for the Book; the State Library and Archives of Florida; the Florida Historical Society; the Florida Humanities Council; the Florida Literary Arts Coalition; the Florida Library Association; the Florida Association for Media in Education; the Florida Center for Literature and Theatre; the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America; Friends of FSU Libraries; the Florida Writers Association; the Governor’s Family Literacy Initiative; and “Just Read, Florida!”
The 2012 winners will be announced in early February. Gold Medal Award winners will be acknowledged in March 2013 at the Historic and Cultural Awards Ceremony sponsored by the state of Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs. In addition, all Florida Book Awards medalists will be recognized at a banquet hosted by the Florida Library Association at its annual conference.
Winning books and their authors will be showcased in the summer issue of FORUM, the statewide magazine of the Florida Humanities Council, and will be featured at book festivals and association conferences and on The Florida Channel throughout the year. In addition, copies of all award-winning books will be put on permanent public displays, one in the Governor’s Mansion Library and one in Florida State University’s Strozier Library.
For general information and the entry form, requirements, and more detailed instructions for the 2012 Florida Book Awards, visit http://floridabookawards.lib.fsu.edu.
For additional information, email Jaclyn Dwyer, communications director for the Florida Book Awards, at floridabookawards@gmail.com, or contact Gloria Colvin, chair of the Executive Committee for the Florida Book Awards, at (850) 645-1680 or gcolvin@fsu.edu.