FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Vancouver (March 30, 2010) ― On behalf of The Alcuin Society, this year’s judges (Marian Bantjes, Linda Gustafson, and Peter Koch) have selected 30 winning titles for the 28th annual Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. The books were chosen from 252 Canadian entries published in 2009, from 9 provinces and 108 publishers.

The Alcuin Award winning books will be exhibited internationally: in Germany, at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs; in England, at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library and the Norwich University College of the Arts; and in Japan, at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, in conjunction with the Tokyo International Book Fair. The books will also be exhibited in 19 venues across Canada. They will compete in the international book design competition in Leipzig, Germany in February 2011. The first, second and third place winners in the children’s category are listed below, as are the honourable mentions.

First prize:
Robert Chaplin and Sian Pairaudeau, designers of Brussels Sprouts & Unicorns: A Book of Rhymes by Robert Chaplin (Robert Chaplin)

Second prize: Elisa Gutiérrez, designer of The Kalevala: Tales of Magic and Adventure by Kirsti Mäkinen, translated by Kaarina Brooks (Simply Read Books)

Third prize: Grace Partridge, designer of Ella’s Umbrellas by Jennifer Lloyd (Simply Read Books)

Honourable mentions: Michael Solomon, designer both of Alego by Ningeokuluk Teevee (Groundwood Books) and of City Alphabet by Joanne Schwartz (Groundwood Books).

The Alcuin Society is a Vancouver based non-profit society for the support and appreciation of fine books. In addition to the annual Book Design Competition, the Society publishes a journal, Amphora, and organizes lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and field visits on various aspects of the book.

For more information, please contact:
Leah Gordon
Alcuin Society Design Competition Committee Chair
awards@alcuinsociety.com
Tel: 604 732-5403