Book Submissions for the annual Awards program open on August 1, 2017.
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, August 1, 2017 – The Minnesota Book Awards, a program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, will kick off its 30th anniversary season on August 1 with the opening of submissions for books published in 2017.
The nine categories for the annual Book Awards include: Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Middle Grade Literature, Minnesota Nonfiction, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young Adult Literature. To be eligible, all books must be the work of a Minnesota author or primary artistic creator and must have a 2017 copyright. Authors, publishers, and agents are eligible to submit a book by completing the online form, submitting five copies of the book, and paying a $45 entry fee. Eligibility and entry guidelines are available at thefriends.org/submissions. Submissions close at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2017.
The upcoming season of the Minnesota Book Awards, with a theme of “30 Years of Stories,” will celebrate the best in local literature and also look toward the future of the program.
“We will continue to honor Minnesota’s rich literary legacy,” says Alayne Hopkins, director of the Minnesota Book Awards, “while at the same time including more voices from across our state to help us write the next chapter of this important program.”
Finalists in all nine categories will be announced on January 27, 2018. Winners will be announced at the 30th annual Minnesota Books Awards ceremony on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Saint Paul.
Nominations are also being accepted for three special awards: the Minnesota Book Artist Award, recognizing an outstanding new work in the book arts created during the last year; the Kay Sexton Award, presented annually to an individual or organization in recognition of outstanding work in fostering books, reading, and literary activity in Minnesota; and the biennial Hognander Minnesota History Award which recognizes a scholarly work on a topic of Minnesota history.
About the Minnesota Book Awards
Celebrating its 30th season, the Minnesota Book Awards is now a year-long program that fosters our statewide literary arts community. Woven throughout the season are various engagement activities and events that promote the authors and connect the world of Minnesota books – writers, artists, illustrators, publishers, editors, and more – to readers throughout the state. In recognition of this and its other statewide programs and services, the Library of Congress has recognized The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the state’s designated Center for the Book. For more information visit www.thefriends.org/mnba.
About The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library exists to help libraries, and the communities they serve, thrive. An independent, nonprofit organization established in 1945, The Friends invests in the Library through fundraising, advocacy, and programming; as a result, the Saint Paul Public Library is a nationally-recognized leader in serving its community. The Friends also serves libraries across the country and internationally through its consulting services, Library Strategies, and promotes literacy, reading, and libraries statewide as the Minnesota Center for the Book. For more information, contact The Friends at 651-222-3242 or visit thefriends.org.