Call for Submissions: 2021 CCBC Book Awards

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is now accepting submissions for its English-language children’s book awards. The submission deadline is March 1, 2021.

If you click on the links below you will find submission and criteria information about each award. Please be sure to read all of the submission information and criteria for each of the awards, as it varies from award to award, and some of the criteria have changed from last year.

Only works by Canadian authors and illustrators are eligible for submission. In the case of translations, the translator must also be Canadian. The award marked with an asterisk (*) is only open to Canadian publishers. Books must be published between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.

For details on the CCBC’s French-language awards, please see further below**.

SUBMISSION FEES
There is a $25 non-refundable fee for each title submitted to each of the CCBC book awards. Therefore, if, for example, you have a title that meets the criteria for three of the awards listed above and you would like it considered for all three awards, the submission fee for that particular title is $75 ($25 x 3). The fees will be used to offset administration costs, as well as costs associated with the presentation of the awards.

Submission fees are payable by cheque, credit card or online. If paying by cheque or credit card, please complete the submission fee form. To pay online, visit bookcentre.ca/submissionfees.

CCBC MEMBERSHIP
Please also consider becoming a member of the CCBC. Member support helps us to continue bringing attention to Canadian children’s books through our programs such as these book awards. Through your support, we can keep showing Canada, and the world, that Canadian children’s books are best.

PUBLISHER AND CREATOR EXPECTATIONS PRIOR TO SUBMISSION

  • Publishers agree to pay the $25 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(s): interviews, readings, appearances, etc.
  • Publishers agree to spend an appropriate sum on media advertising the winning book (i.e., whatever your advertising budget allows).  With respect to the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, the winning publisher agrees to use the $2,500 awarded to them to promote/advertise the winning title.
  • Publishers with titles shortlisted or winning the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award agree to put the award seal on copies of their books. Seals will be provided to the publisher by the CCBC.

TITLE SUBMISSION FORMS
You are required to complete a title submission form for each title being submitted. Each award has its own specific form. The forms are available in two formats — PDF and Word.

  • TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award Title Submission Form (PDF / Word)
  • Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award Title Submission Form (PDF / Word)
  • Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction Title Submission Form (PDF / Word)
  • Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Title Submission Form (PDF / Word)
  • Amy Mathers Teen Book Award Title Submission Form (PDF / Word)
  • Jean Little First-Novel Award (PDF / Word)

HOW TO SUBMIT
Please email the completed form(s) to meghan@bookcentre.ca, along with a final PDF of each title*** by the March 1, 2021 deadline. If you are paying the submission fee(s) by cheque or credit card, please email the completed submission fee form as well. Upon receipt of the completed form(s), you will be sent instructions for where to send the physical books, as well as the quantity required. Please do not send them to the CCBC’s main office. Our office is closed during the pandemic.

Books submitted that do not meet the eligibility requirements and criteria will not be considered and will not be returned, nor will the non-refundable submission fee.

*** With the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are requesting that PDFs of final titles be emailed to meghan@bookcentre.ca when title submission forms are submitted. The PDFs are not to replace the physical books. They are to be used in the event that publishers are experiencing any disruptions/delays with their distribution channels because of COVID-19.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE
The submission deadline for all English-language awards is March 1, 2021.

If you have any questions about eligibility or the awards in general, please contact Meghan Howe at 416.975.0010 ext. 3 or meghan@bookcentre.ca.

** FRENCH-LANGUAGE AWARDS
For the 2021 French-language awards, the CCBC is once again partnering with Communication-Jeunesse. They will be coordinating the French-language awards on our behalf. Their call for submissions will be posted the week of February 15th. If you have any questions about submitting French-language books to the Prix TD and/or the Prix Harry Black, please contact Pénélope Jolicoeur at p.jolicoeur@communication-jeunesse.qc.ca.