David Booth Children's and Youth Poetry Award
Eligibility, Guidelines & Fees
Updated: November 2024

Criteria

The David Booth Children’s and Youth Poetry Award honours excellence in children’s and youth poetry. The celebration of diversity is an equally significant element to achieving excellence. A work of excellence in Canadian children’s literature should also be successful in making people feel a sense of belonging in their communities.

• This biennial award honours excellence in youth poetry in the following forms: board books and picture books told in rhyme or free verse that use poetic language, forms and devices; poetry collections; novels in verse.
• Poetry using strong, engaging language that is new and inventive; language that is evocative and evolving, reads well aloud and garners a sense of surprise and delight from the reader.
• Poetry which invites readers to look at things in extraordinary ways; freshness of ideas alter the readers’ vision of the world.
• Poetry which is striking, intriguing and original.
• Poetry with a youth-centred focus; it engages the targeted audience.
• Presence of these three Rs: rhythm, read-again quality and risk (i.e., the poet’s words need to stretch the boundaries of language).
• Elements of the story/poem(s) that draw upon or are inspired by real cultures, folklore and history should be done respectfully and authentically.
• The award is for the book. The award will go to the author unless 40% or more of the text area is composed of original illustrations, in which case the award will be divided equally between author and illustrator.
• If the winning title is a translated work, the prize will be split 70% to the author and 30% to the translator. In the case of illustrated works, the prize will be split equally between the author and illustrator; the author will retain 70% of their portion with 30% being awarded to the translator.

Board Books and Picture Books

• Books told in rhyme or free verse.
• The rhyme and/or free verse needs to enhance the story; language used goes beyond the obvious predictable word choices.
• Richness of rhythm and rhyme that lends itself to being read aloud.
• Books that have a continuous narrative or cohesive concept.
• Seamless integration of text, illustration and design.

Poetry Collections

• Collections which have a logical arrangement; non-themed collections should also have a sense of cohesion (i.e., a level of flow and interconnectedness between poems).
• “Selected” or “collected” works must contain at least 50% new material, measured in pages of text. This percentage must be identified with the submission.
• Poetry anthologies written by more than one author are not eligible.

Novels in Verse

• Narratives told in poetic form.
• Narratives best told in verse, not prose.
• Poetic form that enriches the story.
• Writing that evokes imagery and emotions.

Eligibility Requirements

• Books must be published between during the previous two calendar years. Because this is a biennial award, the publication date timeframe is two years.
• Eligible formats include board books and picture books told in rhyme or free verse, poetry collections and novels in verse.
• Poetry anthologies written by more than one author are not eligible for submission.
• Both the author and illustrator (if applicable) must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada (minimum two-year residency), or First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of the land that is now called Canada.
• No posthumous submissions.
• Books may be published in Canada or abroad.
• Books must be first foreign or first Canadian editions. If the title is a “selected” or “collected” work, it must contain at least 50% new material, measured in pages of text. This percentage must be identified with the submission. 
• Books must be in English.
• The submitted work should be aimed at young readers up to 18 years old.
• Translations are eligible, provided the translator is a Canadian citizen,permanent resident of Canada (minimum two-year residency), or First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of the land that is now called Canada.
• Poetry based on recorded songs or the lyrics of recorded songs are not eligible.
• Books written as part of a series or published in serial form will be judged as separate entries and must be able to ‘stand-alone’.
• The award is only for books in the printed format, as distinct from digital (i.e., ebooks) and audio-visual formats.
• Books in manuscript form are not eligible.
• All books must have an ISBN and be distributed in Canada.
• Self-published books are eligible for submission provided they have a valid ISBN.