FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto (October 5, 2011) – The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is thrilled to announce a major new Canadian children’s literature award. The Monica Hughes Award will honour excellence in the children’s science fiction and fantasy genre and comes with a $5,000 cash prize which will be awarded annually beginning in October 2012. To be eligible, the book must be an original work in English, aimed at readers ages eight to 16. The award is sponsored by HarperCollins Canada in memory of the late Monica Hughes, the author of over forty books, many of them works of Science Fiction and Fantasy for young readers.
David Kent, president of HarperCollins Canada, is elated to be able to pay such a fitting tribute to the late author: “HarperCollins Canada is thrilled to honour the legacy of Monica Hughes and support Canadian authors by sponsoring this brand new award recognizing excellence in fantasy and science fiction writing for children and young adults.”
The Monica Hughes Award is organized and administered by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, a national, not-for-profit organization founded in 1976 to encourage the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for young readers. “We are elated that HarperCollins Canada is allowing us to honour the late Monica Hughes in such a fitting way. This new award will recognize all the elements that make for a great speculative novel; the winning book will be recognized for its exceptional writing as well as for a story rich in imagination.” said Charlotte Teeple, Executive Director of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
The three inaugural judges for the award are Dr. Michael Johnstone, Professor of Science Fiction Literature at the University of Toronto; Deirdre Baker, Toronto Star Small Print columnist and co-author of A Canadian Guide to Children’s Books, and Melanie Fishbane, Online Marketing and Merchandiser for Kids and Teens at Indigo Book & Music Inc.
Complete details of the Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy can be found at www.bookcentre.ca.
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For further information contact:
Holly Kent | Sales and Marketing Manager | The Canadian Children’s Book Centre
416 975-0010 ext. 221 | holly@bookcentre.ca