Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award

The CCBC is honoured take over the administration of the Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award. This award, named in memory of the late Richard Chase, a former teacher-librarian from Lethbridge, Alberta, honours excellence in Canadian illustrated books (both fiction and non-fiction) appropriate for Grades 4-6/Ages 9-12*. Uniquely, this award celebrates outstanding work having at its heart themes such as compassion, kindness, humanity, environmentalism, inclusivity and/or connection to the land. In 2026, the cash prize for the award increased from $2,500 to $5,000.

Eligibility, Guidelines & Fees

Updated: January 2026

The Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award recognizes and honours excellence in Canadian illustrated books (both fiction and non-fiction) appropriate for Grades 4-6/Ages 9-12*. Uniquely, this award celebrates outstanding work having at its heart themes such as compassion, kindness, humanity, environmentalism, inclusivity and/or connection to the land.

Criteria

The criteria for selecting the winning and shortlisted titles are viewed through each juror’s lens. In identifying excellence, the judges shall consider the following criteria:

• Quality of the text and illustrations.
• Conveys evident themes of compassion, kindness, humanity, environmentalism, inclusivity and/or connection to the land.
• Appropriateness of style and presentation. Books should have notable qualities in all of the elements pertinent to it, such as interpretation of theme and concept.
• Books need to be self-contained and not dependent on other media for its enjoyment.
• Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity and organization.
• Treatment of the material (in the case of non-fiction) or elements of the story that draw upon or are inspired by real cultures, folklore and history should be done respectfully and authentically.
• Books should have been written for a youth audience (Grades 4-6/Ages 9-12)* and should achieve excellence of presentation.
• Book is to be considered as a contribution to literature.
• The popularity of a book and didactic intent are not to be considered.
• If the winning title is a picture book, graphic novel, or if 40% or more of the text area is composed of original illustrations, the prize will be split equally between and 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 where 40% or more of the text area is made up of original illustrations, the prize would be equally split between the author and illustrator; 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, 2025. 
• Both the author and illustrator must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada (minimum two-year residency).
• Books may be published in Canada or abroad.
• No posthumous submissions.
• 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.
• Translations are eligible, provided the translator is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada (minimum two-year residency).
• Eligible categories of illustrated books include advance picture books, non-fiction, and graphic novels suitable for young readers in Grades 4-6/Ages 9-12*.
• Books being submitted for consideration must be original works.
• Books based on traditional stories (e.g., folk literature) will be considered if the book is the result of original research and the retelling and interpretation are the writer’s own.
• Books based on recorded songs are not eligible.
• Works containing AI-authored content, in part or in whole, or AI-generated illustrations, are not eligible for submission. Use of AI for research, minor editorial, or formatting support may be permitted. If a work is found to include ineligible AI-generated content after submission, it will be disqualified at the submitter’s expense. Submission fees will not be refunded and submitted materials will not be returned.
• 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.

*   If a book’s primary audience is outside of the grade/age range listed for this award, but you feel the book has a broader appeal to young people within this range, we encourage you to submit it.

 Publisher and Creator Expectations

• Publishers agree to pay the $40 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 $40 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 $120 ($40 x 3). The fees will be used to offset administration costs, as well as costs associated with the presentation of the awards.

 How to Submit

You are required to complete an online title submission form for each title being submitted. Upon receipt of your online submission form(s), you will be sent a link where you can upload the PDF of your submission(s). The Chase Award requires five (5) physical copies of each title. Please send these to:

CCBC Book Awards 2026
c/o Tinlids Inc.
130 Martin Ross Avenue 
Toronto, ON M3J 2L4

Tinlids' hours of operation for warehouse deliveries are Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Should you need to include a phone number for the shipment, the phone number at Tinlids is 416-665-5663.

Note to US publishers, foreign publishers and self-published authors using printers in the US
When you are sending your submissions, please make sure that all mailing/courier charges, including duty, are billed to the sender. The CCBC nor Tinlids cannot incur these costs. Packages flagged as COD will be refused.

Submission fees can be paid online at bookcentre.ca/submissionfees. If you are paying the submission fee(s) by cheque, please complete a submission fee form. If you require an invoice, please email a copy of this completed form to meghan@bookcentre.ca. Otherwise, please enclose a copy of this completed form, along with your cheque, with your shipment of books or mail it to the address at the bottom of the form.

Accessible Formats

The title submission form includes a question about accessible formats. While these formats are not a requirement for submitting to the awards program, we would very much appreciate it if you could let us know if the title(s) is available in an accessible format and if so, which format(s).