Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
Eligibility, Guidelines & Fees
Updated: November 2024

Criteria

The Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award honours excellence in Canadian children’s literature in the illustrated picture book format. The celebration of diversity is an important element of Canadian children’s literature, as is generating a sense of belonging in, and connection to, the communities and environments in which we live, and wonder about the world around us, both real and imagined.

• The award will be given to an outstanding picture book in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity.
• The book should give equal consideration to the text or storyline (in the case of wordless picture books) and visual material.
• There should be a seamless integration of text/storyline, illustration and design.
• Elements of the story that draw upon or are inspired by real cultures, folklore and history should be done respectfully and authentically.
• The prize will be split equally between the author and illustrator. If the winning title is a translated work, the author will retain 70% of their portion with 30% being awarded to the translator.

Eligibility Requirements

• Books must be published between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
• Both the author and illustrator 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. New editions or re-issues of previously published titles are not eligible for submission.
• Books must be in English.
• The book should be aimed at young readers aged three to eight years old.
• Translations are eligible, provided the translator is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada (minimum two-year residency), or First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of the land that is now called Canada.
• Eligible genres are fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
• Stories must be original (i.e., not a retelling of a story already published such as a fairy tale or folk tale.)
• Picture books based on recorded songs are not eligible.
• Board books 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.

Publisher and Creator Expectations

• Publishers agree to pay the $35 non-refundable submission fee per title per award.
• If a book is shortlisted, the publisher, author and illustrator may be asked to participate in a series of events highlighting and promoting the shortlisted author and illustrator, in addition to the award celebration.
• The CCBC is unable to assume the costs for travel and accommodation. It is our hope that publishers will assist the award winner(s) with providing the resources for attending the in-person awards ceremony (should we be able to hold an in-person event) or for creating an acceptance speech video of appropriate quality should the creator(s) be unable to attend an in-person event.
• Publishers agree to prepare and encourage their authors and illustrators to participate in all reasonable publicity associated with the award: interviews, readings, appearances, etc.
• Publishers agree to spend an appropriate sum on media advertising the winning book (i.e., whatever your advertising budget allows).

Submission Fees

There is a $35 non-refundable fee for each title submitted to each of the CCBC book awards. Therefore, if, for example, you have a title that is eligible for three of the awards and you would like it considered for all three awards, the submission fee for that particular title is $105 ($35 x 3). The fees will be used to offset administration costs, as well as costs associated with the presentation of the awards.