Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards Shortlist

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Arts Minister Tony Burke have announced the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Awards shortlists.

From children's books that excel in the art of storytelling through to revealing works of non-fiction and history, the 29 books on the 2013 shortlists represent the breadth and depth of the Australian story and imagination.

Now in their sixth year, the Awards shortlists recognise the best in Australian fiction, poetry, non-fiction, history, young adult and children's fiction published in 2012. 

Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors. The winners in each of the categories will receive a tax-free cash prize of $80,000, with the shortlisted authors receiving $5000 tax-free. The date of the winners announcement is yet to be announced.

Fiction
Floundering by Romy Ash
The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey
Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
Lost Voices by Christopher Koch
Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany

Non-fiction
Bradman’s War by Malcolm Knox
Uncommon Soldier by Chris Masters
Plein Airs and Graces by Adrian Mitchell
The Australian Moment by George Megalogenis
Bold Palates by Barbara Santich

Prize for Australian History
The Sex Lives of Australians: A History by Frank Bongiorno
Sandakan by Paul Ham
Gough Whitlam by Jenny Hocking
Farewell, dear people by Ross McMullin
The Censor’s Library by Nicole Moore

Young adult fiction
Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson
The Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett
Grace Beside Me by Sue McPherson
Fog a Dox by Bruce Pascoe
Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield

Children’s fiction
Red by Libby Gleeson
Today We Have No Plans by Jane Godwin and illustrated by Anna Walker
What’s the Matter, Aunty May? by Peter Friend and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
The Beginner’s Guide to Revenge by Marianne Musgrove

Poetry
Burning Rice by Eileen Chong
The Sunlit Zone by Lisa Jacobson
Jam Tree Gully: Poems* by John Kinsella
Liquid Nitrogen by Jennifer Maiden
Crimson Crop by Peter Rose

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Tejas Star Book Award Winners

The Tejas Star Book Award was created by the Region One ESC Library Advisory Committee to promote reading in general and for readers to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. All the children of Texas had the opportunity to select their favorite book from the Tejas Star list during the 2012-2013 school year.

These are undoubtedly among the most beautiful book covers that we have ever witnessed. Gorgeous.

Congratulations to Monica Brown and Sara Palacios! Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / 

Marisol McDonald no combina (Children’s Book Press an imprint of Lee & Low Books) who won the 2012-2013 Tejas Star Book award 
My name is Marisol McDonald, and I don't match. At least, that's what everyone tells me.

Marisol McDonald has flaming red hair and nut-brown skin. Polka dots and stripes are her favorite combination. She prefers peanut butter and jelly burritos in her lunch box. And don't even think of asking her to choose one or the other activity at recess—she'll just be a soccer playing pirate princess, thank you very much. To Marisol McDonald, these seemingly mismatched things make perfect sense together.

Unfortunately, they don't always make sense to everyone else. Other people wrinkle their nose in confusion at Marisol—can't she just be one or the other? Try as she might, in a world where everyone tries to put this biracial, Peruvian-Scottish-American girl into a box, Marisol McDonald doesn't match. And that's just fine with her.

A mestiza Peruvian American of European, Jewish, and Amerindian heritage, renowned author Monica Brown wrote this lively story to bring her own experience of being mismatched to life. Her buoyant prose is perfectly matched by Sara Palacios engaging acrylic illustrations.

This are the The Tejas Star Book Award 
 2012-2013 Finalist

Ada, Alma Flor and María Jesús Álvarez (illus.). (2011).  

Todo es canción: Antología poética (Spanish Edition). 

Alfaguara Infantil. ISBN 13: 978-1616051730. Ages 7 and up

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales and Christina Rodríguez (illus.). (2011).  

Adelita and the Veggie Cousins / 

Adelita y las primas verduritas. 

Piñata Books. ISBN 13: 978-1558856998. Ages 4 and up

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales and Tanja Bauerle (illus.). (2011).  
The Park Our Town Built /
El Parque Que Nuestro Pueblo Construyó.
Raven Tree Press, Csi. ISBN 13: 978-1936299126. Ages 4 and up

Brown, Monica and Thelma Muraida (illus.). (2011) 
Clara and the Curandera / 
Clara y la curandera.
Piñata Books.  ISBN 13: 978-1558857001. Ages 4 and up

Cofer, Judith Ortiz. (2012).  
Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales / 
La Fiesta De Los Animales: Leyendas Latinas.
Piñata Books.  ISBN 13: 9781558857438. Ages 8 and up

De Anda, Diane. (2011).  
The Monster in the Mattress and Other Stories /
El Monstruo En El Colchón Y Otros Cuentos.
Piñata Books.  ISBN 13: 978-1558856936. Ages 9 and up

Garza, Xavier. (2011).
Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: 
A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller.
Cinco Puntos Press.   ISBN 13: 978-1933693989. Ages 8 and up

Ruiz-Flores, Lupe and Alisha Gambino (illus.). (2010).  
The Battle of the Snow Cones / 
La guerra de las raspas.
Piñata Books.   ISBN 13: 9781558855755. Ages 5 and up

Saldaña, Jr., Rene. (2011). 
The Lemon Tree Caper: A Mickey Rangel Mystery / 
La intriga del limonero: Colección Mickey Rangel, detective privado.
Piñata Books. ISBN 13: 9781558857094. Ages 9 and up

2013 Maine Readers’ Choice Award Shortlist

The 2013 Shortlist

The Committee has narrowed the list to ten titles.  The next
round will be the final list that will go to the readers of Maine for
their vote.  Below the images are links to each author’s website.

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Canada by Richard Ford
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

The Maine Readers’ Choice Award, officially established in 2013 by the Maine State Library and the Maine Library Association, recognizes the best in adult  fiction published in the United States the previous year.  The aim of this award is to increase awareness and reading of literary fiction.  The Maine Readers’ Choice Award honors books that exhibit exceptional writing and a compelling story that encourages reading and conversation among individuals and in Maine’s communities.

To be considered for the Maine Readers’ Choice Award, books must be:

• Fiction
• Published in the United States the previous year
• Well written
• Compelling story – you want to continue reading
• Appealing to a wide audience

Revised editions, updates of previously published works, series or trilogies are not eligible.

Recommendations for consideration for this award will come from the library and booksellers’ communities across the state of Maine throughout the year.  All genres are accepted as long as they meet the above requirements.

The Maine Readers’ Choice Award committee will focus on the list of submitted titles, narrowing the list to ten titles that will be read by the committee.  The committee will select three to five titles to advance on to libraries and bookstores for a reader’s choice vote in September. Maine readers can vote online at the award’s website and at public libraries and bookstores throughout the state.  The winner will be announced in October.

Peter Hartcher Wins Ashurst Business Literature Prize

Award-winning journalist and author Peter Hartcher has won this year’s Ashurst Business Literature Prize for The Sweet Spot: How Australia made its own luck – and could now throw it all away (Black Inc.) 

In The Sweet Spot Peter Hartcher takes readers on an entertaining and thought-provoking tour through Australian politics and history. He shows how a convict colony could have become a banana republic, how Australia came through the global financial crisis – it wasn’t just the mining boom – and how we could now throw our success away if we don’t recognise our strengths and demand true leadership of our politicians.

Federal MP Malcolm Turnbull presented the $30,000 award to Hartcher at an event in Sydney on 6 June. Hartcher’s book was selected from a shortlist of five. His book was also previously longlisted for the 2012 Walkley Book Award.
Black Inc. publisher Chris Feik told Books+Publishing that Hartcher ‘writes like a dream and his book is a splendid account of the “Australian model”—what makes this society distinctive—in particular how the reforms of the eighties helped us ride out the Global Financial Crisis’.

2012 SHORTLIST
Mine-field: The Dark Side of Australia’s Resource Rush, Paul Cleary (Black Inc.)

7 Myths about Women and Work, by Catherine Fox (NewSouth Publishing)

WINNER- The Sweet Spot: How Australia made its own luck - and could now throw it all away, Peter Hartcher (Black Inc.) - 

House of Hancock: The Rise and Rise of Gina Rinehart by Debi Marshall (Random House Australia)

Icon in Crisis: The Reinvention of CSIRO by Ron Sandland and Graham Thompson
(NewSouth Publishing)

About the Prize

Administered by the State Library of NSW and law firm Ashurst, the Ashurst Business Literature Prize was established in 2004 and was previously known as the Blake Dawson Business Literature Prize.

The annual prize aims to encourage literary commentary on Australian business and financial affairs. Previous winners include Trevor Sykes, who won the prize in 2012 for Six Months of Panic: How the Global Financial Crises Hit Australia (A&U), and Paul Barry, who won the prize in 2011 for Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? The James Packer Story (A&U)

The prize was established to encourage the highest standards of commentary in the fields of business and finance, and to better inform the general reader about Australia’s commercial life and participants in that life. The Prize covers a range of subjects including Australian corporate and commercial literature, histories, accounts and analyses of corporate affairs as well as biographies of business men and women

THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS BY TAN TWAN ENG WINS WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION

The winner of one of the UK's richest literary prizes has been announced as Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng.

His second novel THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS has won him the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction from a shortlist which included two-time Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel and a very strong line-up of internationally respected contenders

Tan Twan Eng travelled from his home in South Africa to receive the prize, presented by the Duke of Buccleuch, at the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival in Melrose in the Scottish Borders. He is the first writer from overseas to win the four-year-old prize after a new rule making authors for the Commonwealth eligible for entry.

The books must also be set at least 60 years ago, be written in English and have been published in the preceding year.

The judges said: "All the authors on this year's shortlist have written wonderful books, illuminating times and breathing life into personalities in a way that is enlightening and which brings lasting pleasure to the reader. However The Garden of Evening Mists is the book that left the deepest imprint on us.

"The poignancy of both remembering and forgetting is what this book is all about. One of the strengths of the Walter Scott Prize is that we can be broad in our reach. Set in the jungle-clad highlands of Malaya, this year's winner leads us into the troubled aftermath of World War Two. It is pungent and atmospheric, a rich, enigmatic, layered novel in which landscapes part and merge, and part again."

On receiving his award Tan Twan Eng said: "For writers and readers, history is all around us. The Walter Scott Prize is important in that it tells the world that history matters."

2013 Shortlisted titles
TOBY’S ROOM by Pat Barker
THE DAUGHTERS OF MARS by Thomas Keneally
BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel
THE STREETS by Anthony Quinn
THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS by Tan Twan Eng - WINNER
MERIVEL by Rose Tremain

The judges commented:
“This year's shortlist is rich and complex, contains breathtaking writing, and gloriously unexpected stories which refresh understandings of history in a way in which Sir Walter Scott would have approved.  The shortlist exemplifies the extraordinary quality of newly-published writing that is set in the past: from ancient to recent history."

The shortlisted books are by authors from Australia and Malaysia, as well as from England, strengthening the international dimension brought to the prize by last year’s opening up of the rules to include writers from the Commonwealth.  Books must have been written in English, with the majority of their setting being at least 60 years ago, in keeping with the prize’s definition of ‘historical’ borrowed from Walter Scott himself in the subtitle of his Waverley novels:  ‘Tis Sixty Years Since.’

About the Prize

The Walter Scott Prize, founded in 2009 by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and awarded at the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival in June, is the largest annual UK prize to be judged outside London, and honours the legacy and achievements of Sir Walter Scott, founder of the historical novel.  Scott’s influence has been further revived this year, with several new books and documentaries on his life, a new radio adaptation of his work read by David Tennant, and the re-opening of his Borders home Abbotsford after substantial restoration.  kp

Novelist Kirsten McDougall Wins Creative New Zealand 2013 Louis Johnson New Writers’ Bursary 13-Jun-2013

Novelist Kirsten McDougall has been awarded the 2013 Creative New Zealand Louis Johnson New Writers’ Bursary. McDougall has a Masters in Creative Writing from Victoria University and published her first novel, The Invisible Rider, to critical acclaim in 2012.

Wellington-based McDougall has also been published in Sport, Turbine and Big Weather: Poems of Wellington. She will use the bursary to complete a new novel called The Underground.

Published writers at an early stage of their career, who apply to the Arts Board for an arts grant in the March funding round, are automatically considered for this bursary. The bursary is partly funded by a donation from the estate of poet, writer, reviewer and broadcaster, Louis Johnson.

Winners Sheikh Zayed Book Awards

Book Award tragic: Playing catch-up here.  The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards Ceremony took place at the beginning of May, 2013, but, we wanted to acknowledge and recognise this import Middle Eastern Award that has gone from strength to strength in recent years

The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards Ceremony, celebrated as the most important cultural event in the Arab region, took place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in the presence of dignitaries, prominent public figures, and members of Arab and international literary circles.

The ceremony was attended by H.H. Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Counselor, and Vice Chairman of Executive Council who honoured the ceremony by his presence and handed the awards to the winners.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is the richest literary competition in the world, and is an independent cultural award administered by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority with a total monetary value of seven million dirhams. Established in memory of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for more than 30 years, since its launch in 2007, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has succeeded in fostering greater scholarship and creativity by recognising and rewarding significant cultural achievements to Arabic culture, actively changing the Arab literary landscape. This year has seen 1262 nominations across all 9 categories, doubling over last session’s record.

Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Secretary General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, gave a moving speech highlighting the immense work the winners had put into their respective books.

“We have developed the award to continue to strive towards achieving its objectives, to spread regionally and globally from its home, the United Arab Emirates, carrying the name of the late, great His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The award seeks to continue to spread the power of the word in honoring, appreciating and encouraging the works of the writers, supporting creativity and promoting a culture of open channels of communication with the rest of the world.” “We are responsible to keep the light of knowledge and culture burning for all.” Dr. Tamim acknowledged the presence of Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb Grand Imam of Al Azhar for his influence on Arab culture.

Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, the winner of Cultural Personality of the Year Award, said a few words in honour of the awards and the award winners, “My deepest gratitude goes to H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan for this honour”.

He proceeded to speak of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Nahyan and his great achievements that touched Egypt during and after his lifetime including schools, such as the Sheikh Zayed centre for Arabic, and other educational institutions. “This award is essential to continue our path in promoting our culture and heritage. Knowledge and education will keep us all on the path of moderation, tolerance and peace.”

The awards were handed to the winners by H.H. Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as follows:

Winner of the 'Contribution to the Development of Nations' Award Contemporary Arab Thought (Al Fikr al 'Arabi al Mu'aser) Elizabeth Kassab from Lebanon Published by Centre for Arab Unity Studies, Beirut 2012 “Surely, the award for me is a great reward and a wonderful recognition. It is also a tribute to all the men and women whose work I examined in the book, thinkers who had the moral and intellectual courage to think for themselves critically under the most adverse circumstances.”

Winner of the' Young Author' Award 'Falsafat Jeel Deleuze' (Deleuze philosophy on Existentialism and Difference) Adil Hadjami from Morocco Published by Dar Toubkal, Casablanca 2012.

“I am very fortunate to have received this award so early in my career. It has given me the confidence and resources to develop my work and to take it to a level I previously wouldn’t even think of reaching.”

Winner of the 'Translation' Award Being and Time (German: Sein und Zeit, 1927) by Martin Heidegger. Translated into Arabic by Fathi Meskini from Tunisia Published by Dar al Kitab Al Jadid, Beirut 2012.

“Nothing is untranslatable. Every idea or thought is a representation of a popular belief, and is transferrable from one nation to another. This is an essential part of humanity”

Winner of the 'Literary and Art Criticism' Award 'Al Takhayol Al Tarikhi' (Historic Visualization) Abdullah Ibrahim from Iraq Published by Arab Association for Studies and Publishing, Beirut 2011

“This award recognizes the extreme hard work of researchers and scholars and exemplifies what book awards should represent.”

Winner of the 'Arab Culture in Non-Arabic Languages' Award 'Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights' Writer and Critic Marina Warner from UK Published by Vintage Books (2012) and Chatto and Windus in 2011.

Warner’s goddaughter accepted the award on her behalf. Marina Warner said via phone from the UK, “It is wonderful to be given this mark of recognition from this part of the world. Wonderful and unexpected. I loved writing about the Nights – they have given me the most enjoyable years of research I have ever had and it is very encouraging if I have managed to convey some of that pleasure and interest I found in them.”

Winner of the 'Publishing and Technology' Award 
National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, Kuwait

Winner of the 'Cultural Personality of the Year' Award 
Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, Al Azhar, Egypt

The Awards for “Literature” and “Children’s Literature” were withheld for the seventh session as this year’s nominations in these categories did not meet the Award’s standards and criteria for winning.


 

New Book Award: The Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History

The Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History has been created by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. The prize, which carries an award of US$50,000, will be given annually in recognition of the best book in the field of military history published in English during the previous calendar year. The inaugural award will be made in February 2014 for a book published in 2013.

The winner of the prize will be selected in January 2014 from a short list of six finalists and then announced at an event at the New-York Historical Society. Publishers may submit as many appropriate titles for consideration as they wish.

More About the Prize

The inaugural Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History will be awarded on February 13, 2014, at a ceremony in New York City. The prize is the sum of US$50,000. A shortlist of finalists will be announced in January 2014.

The intent of the prize is to draw public attention to military history not only as an important staple of education in the areas of international relations, diplomacy, and conflict studies, but also as a subject in which any educated citizen should be interested. The study of steps to war, the conduct of military campaigns, and diplomatic responses to war can play an essential role in the quest for a more peaceable future.

The Judging Committee for the 2013 prize:

• Andrew Roberts, Ph.D., historian and journalist (Chair)
• Charles F. Brower IV, Ph.D., Brigadier General, USA, Ret.; Henry King Burgwyn Professor of Military History, Virginia Military Institute
• Josiah Bunting III, President of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation; Recording Secretary to the Committee
• Eliot A. Cohen, Ph.D., Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
• Saul David, Ph.D., Professor of War Studies, University of Buckingham
• Sir Hew Strachan, Ph.D., Chichele Professor in the History of War, All Souls, Oxford University
• H. Kirk Unruh, Jr., Rear Admiral, USNR, Ret.; Recording Secretary, Princeton University

Submission Guidelines

To be eligible for the prize, a book must be published between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. The submission deadline is November 1, 2013.

Publishers must submit 10 copies of each book for consideration, accompanied by an entry fee of $50 (or 30 British pounds) and a completed submission form, which can be downloaded here:

• 2013 Guggenheim–Lehrman Prize Submission Form (.pdf)

The books, along with the submission form, should be shipped to:

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
25 W. 53rd St.
New York, NY 10019

Additional Guidelines

• Eligible books may be written by no more than two authors.
• Books may be published anywhere in the world but must have been written originally in English.
• Submissions must come from the book's publisher. Authors may not directly submit their books for consideration.
• Self-published books and children's books are not eligible for the prize.
• If no submitted book is deemed worthy of the prize by the judges, no prize will be awarded.
• The winner of the prize must be available for media interviews in the days after the New York ceremony.

For U.S. public relations queries:

Angela Baggetta
Goldberg McDuffie Communications
abaggetta@goldbergmcduffie.com

For UK public relations queries:

Lucy Hinton
Four Colman Getty
Lucy.Hinton@fourcolmangetty.com

 More information about the submission process can be found at http://www.hfg.org

New Zealand’s Poet Laureate Ian Wedde Wins $40,000 Berlin Writer’s Residency.

New Zealand’s Poet Laureate, Ian Wedde, will spend almost a year in Germany from October as this year’s recipient of the Creative New Zealand $40,000 Berlin Writer’s Residency.

Wedde plans to write both a book of linked stories and a sequence of poems. The poems are inspired by his German great-grandfather, Heinrich Augustus Wedde, who jumped ship in Wellington in the 1870s to marry a Danish woman he met on the voyage.

Ian Wedde has produced a substantial body of work over more than three decades, including novels, poetry, art writing, criticism and essays. He launched his 15th collection of poetry, The Lifeguard: New Poems 2008–2013 at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival in May. His latest novel, The Catastrophe, was published in 2012.

“It’s a great privilege to have been awarded the residency, and to have the chance to focus on some new work with German connections,” the author says. “I’m looking forward to encountering the ghosts of German ancestors and taking dictation from them. Schönen Dank!’’

 Wedde has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award for fiction for his first novel, Dick Seddon’s Great Dive (1976), and a New Zealand Book Award for his poetry collection Spells for Coming Out by Day (1978). He was the Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton in 2005, and in 2009, was awarded the University of Auckland Michael King Writer’s Centre Residency. He was made an Arts Foundation Laureate in 2006 and, in 2010, was awarded an ONZM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. He teaches in the department of Art History at Auckland University.

Established in 2000, the biennial Creative New Zealand Berlin Writers’ Residency enables an established New Zealand writer to focus on a writing project over a sustained period and respond to the life, people and culture of Berlin.

“The Berlin Residency, supported by the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand, is highly regarded by the literary sector and enriches the development and profile of New Zealand writing,” says Creative New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright.

The Creative New Zealand Berlin Writers’ Residency alternates with the biennial Creative New Zealand Berlin Visual Artists’ Residency. The 11-month residency offers a stipend of $40,000 and the use of the Creative New Zealand apartment in the heart of Berlin. Previous recipients are Sarah Quigley, Tina Shaw, Kapka Kassabova, Philip Temple, Tim Corballis, Lloyd Jones, Sir James McNeish and Kate Camp.

Complete Winners List Benjamin Franklin Book Awards 2013

The Independent Book Publishers Association, the largest not-for-profit association of publishers in the United States, has announced the winners of the 2013 Benjamin Franklin Award. A complete listing of all of the silver and gold award winners may be found below.

More than 250 gathered at the Marriot Marquis in New York just before BEA to celebrate the 164 silver and gold award winners of the 25th Annual Benjamin Franklin Awards, chosen by 160 hard-working judges from almost 1,300 entries in 55 categories.

The judges include booksellers, reviewers, librarians, and book designers, and they work from August through March to grade all the entries. This year's competition was open to all books published in 2012. In keeping with IBPA's educational mission, all entrants receive a written critique with advice on how to improve their publications as well as kudos for the good work produced.

Honoring excellence in publishing annually since 1988, this year, the Benjamin Franklin Awards  recognised publishers as large as Hazelden Publishing, in partnership with Harvard Health Publications, gold winner in the Psychology category with their title Almost A Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I Know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy?, and as small as Billy Fish Books, gold winner of the Bill Fisher Award for best First Book with their title The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth. 

Whether or not the length of the titles played a role in the aforementioned books winning is a matter of conjecture, but, as a complete Tweet in their own right, we may well wonder. kp

Complete list of winners

ANIMALS/PETS

Gold Winner
Young Chicken Farmers: Tips for Kids Raising Backyard Chickens, Beavers Pond Press

Silver WinnersLily, A Gray Whale’s Odyssey, Lucid Dreamer Productions
Your Dog’s Golden Years – Manual for Senior Dog Care Including Natural Remedies and Complementary Options, Wallingford Vale Publishing

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY

Gold Winner
Johsel Namkung: A Retrospective, Cosgrove Editions

Silver WinnersA Day In the World, Earth Aware Editions
The Ohio State University: Pathways to the Heart and Mind, David-Flischel Enterprises LLC

AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIRS

Gold Winner
Sugar Hill: Where the Sun Rose Over Harlem, Impulse Press

Silver WinnersThe Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery, Aquila Polonica Publishing
Pacific Time on Target, The Kent State University Press

BIOGRAPHY

Gold Winner
Under the North Light: The Life and Work of Maud and Miska Petersham, WoodstockArts

Silver WinnersButch Cassidy, My Uncle, High Plains Press
David Kokernot: Rogue Soldier of the Texas Revolution, Kullyspel Press

BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

Gold Winner
Your Natural Medicine Cabinet, GreenHealing Press

Silver WinnersThe Path of a Reluctant Metaphysician: Stories and Practices for Troubled Times, Bodymind Healing Publications
Your Ultimate Life Plan, New Page Books

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

Gold Winner
The Big Retirement Risk, Greenleaf Book Group LLC

Silver WinnersPositive Intelligence, Positive Intelligence / Greenleaf Book Group Press
Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking, Greenleaf Book Group

CAREER

Gold Winner
Starting Your Career as a Dancer, Allworth Press

Silver WinnersJob Tracks: 60* Great Careers, Gallopade International
Leadership 2.0, TalentSmart

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK

Gold WinnerMommy, Daddy, I Had a Bad Dream!, Smart Love Press, LLC

Silver Winners47 Strings: Tessa’s Special Code, Little Creek Press, a Division of Kristin Mitchell Design, LLC
Pingo and the Playground Bully, Deseret Book Company / Shadow Mountain
Twas the Night Before Christmas, Grafton and Scratch Publishers
Will You Fill My Bucket? Daily Acts of Love Around the World, Nelson Publishing & Marketing

CHILDREN’S BOOK & AUDIOBOOK SET

Gold WinnerMatzah & Miracles, See the Wish

Silver WinnersMajor Manners Presents Nite-Nite Soldier, Outhouse Ink Publishing
On the Night You Were Born, Macmillan Audio

YOUNG READER: FICTION (8-12 YEARS)

Gold WinnerThe Candy Shop War: Arcade Catastrophe, Deseret Book Company / Shadow Mountain

Silver WinnersCeltic Run: A Jake McGreevy Novel, MB Publishing, LLC
Lily, A Gray Whale’s Odyssey, Lucid Dreamer Productions

YOUNG READER: NONFICTION (8-12 YEARS)

Gold WinnerYoung Chicken Farmers: Tips for Kids Raising Backyard Chickens, Beavers Pond Press

Silver WinnersThe Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall, Alma Little, an imprint of Elva Resa Publishing
Uncle John’s KID-TOPIA Bathroom Reader for Kids Only!, Portable Press

TEEN: FICTION (13-18 YEARS)

Gold WinnerHer Mother’s Secret, Allium Press of Chicago

Silver WinnersShackled, Acacia Publishing Inc.
The You Know Who Girls, Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

TEEN: NONFICTION (13-18 YEARS)

Gold WinnerTheir Skeletons Speak, Lerner Publishing Group

Silver WinnersADHD in HD: Brains Gone Wild, Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.
Indianopolis: A City of Immigrants, IHS Press (Indiana Historical Press)

COFFEE TABLE BOOKS

Gold WinnerWithin an African Eden, Grant Leversha

Silver WinnersEchoes of Earth: Finding ourselves in the origins of the planet, Wild Stone Arts
The Language of Luxe: The Work of AB Concept, ORO Editions

COOKBOOKS

Gold WinnerCelebrate Everything! Delicious Menus for Festive Gatherings and Easy Entertaining, Lydia Inglett Publishing / Starbooks

Silver WinnersMuy Bueno: Three Generations of Authentic Mexican Flavor, Hippocrene Books, Inc.
Your Time To Bake, Square One Publishers

CRAFTS/HOBBY/HOW-TO

Gold WinnerMaple On Tap, Acres USA

Silver WinnersModern Quilts from the Blogging Universe, Martingale
Young Chicken Farmers: Tips for Kids Raising Backyard Chickens, Beavers Pond Press

EDUCATION

Gold WinnerRethinking Elementary Education, Rethinking Schools Ltd.

Silver WinnersBecoming a Reflective Teacher, Marzano Research Laboratory
Real Classroom Makeovers, Gryphon House Inc.

GIFT BOOKS

Gold WinnerThe Gospel of John, Photographed, Four Line Media

Silver WinnersEchoes of Earth: Finding ourselves in the origins of the planet, Wild Stone Arts
Jules Verne, Canterbury Classics

POPULAR FICTION

Gold WinnerBrambleman, Thornbriar Press

Silver WinnersAll the Dancing Birds, Marcanti Clarke Literary Press
Daughters of Fire, Koa Books
Hattie, Small Batch Books

HISTORICAL FICTION

Gold WinnerThe Raven’s Heart, Bywater Books

Silver WinnersChojun – A Novel, YMAA Publication Center, Inc.
Maps of Fate, Rockin’ SR Publishing

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Gold WinnerThe Unkindness of Strangers, The Grove Point Press

Silver WinnersRipped – A Jack the Ripper Time-Travel Thriller, New Book Partners
Run To Ground, Oceanview Publishing

POETRY/LITERARY CRITICISM

Gold WinnerAlong the Chisholm Trail and Other Poems, Outskirts Press, Inc.

Silver WinnersThe Rigid Body, Ashland Poetry Press
These Our Offerings, Evening Post Books

LGBT

Gold WinnerInsider’s Guide to Egg Donation, Demos Medical Publishing

Silver WinnersArt On Fire, Bywater Books
Oath of Honor, Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

HEALTH & FITNESS

Gold WinnerYour Natural Medicine Cabinet, GreenHealing Press

Silver WinnersThe IBD Healing Plan, Hunter House Inc., Publishers
Super Snacks for Super Kids, Little Creek Press, a Division of Kristin Mitchell Design, LLC

HISTORY

Gold WinnerPorsche – Origin of the Species, Bentley Publishers

Silver WinnersGold and Silver in the Mojave: Images of a Last Frontier, Sunbelt Publications
Superstition Wilderness Trails West, Clear Creek Publishing

HOME & GARDEN

Gold WinnerAdvanced Timber Framing, Fox Maple Press, Inc.

Silver WinnersBulb Forcing for Beginners and the Seriously Smitten, AAB Book Publishing Company LLC
The Seasoned Gardener, Garden Wisdom Press

HUMOR

Gold WinnerUncle John’s Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, Portable Press

Silver WinnersNever Hug a Nun, Blank Slate Press
Who Peed On My Yoga Mat?, Jupiter Press, imprint of Wyatt MacKenzie

INSPIRATIONAL

Gold WinnerPicture Your Life After Cancer, American Cancer Society

Silver WinnersDear Jay, Love Dad: Bud Wilkinson’s Letters to His Son, University Of Oklahoma Press
The Rent Collector, Deseret Book Company / Shadow Mountain
A Spirituality of Service, Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers

MULTICULTURAL

Gold WinnerSugar Hill: Where the Sun Rose Over Harlem, Impulse Press

Silver WinnersThe Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays, Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing
The Sky’s the Limit: People v. Newton / The Real Trial of the 20th Century?, Regent Press

NATURE & ENVIRONMENT

Gold WinnerEchoes of Earth: Finding ourselves in the origins of the planet, Wild Stone Arts

Silver WinnersGreening Vermont: The Search for a Sustainable State, Thistle Hill Publications and Vermont Natural Resources Council
Minnesota’s Outdoor Wonders, Nodin Press

PARENTING & FAMILY ISSUES

Gold WinnerDad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro, American Academy of Pediatrics

Silver WinnersAutism Spectrum Disorders: What Every Parent Needs to Know, American Academy of Pediatrics
Uncommon Beauty: Crisis Parenting From Day One, Beaver’s Pond Press

POLITICAL/CURRENT EVENTS

Gold WinnerForbidden Citizens: Chinese Exclusion and the U.S. Congress: A Legislative History, TheCapitol.Net

Silver WinnersAlmost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope, Wiley/Turner Publishing
Watches Without Time: An American Soldier in Afghanistan, Just World Publishing, LLC

PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL

Gold WinnerRhinology, Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Silver WinnersAcupuncture For Insomnia: Sleep and Dreams in Chinese Medicine, Thieme Medical Publishers
The Indie Author Revolution: An Insider’s Guide to Self-Publishing, Beavers Pond Press

PSYCHOLOGY

Gold WinnerAlmost A Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I Know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy?, Hazelden Publishing, in partnership with Harvard Health Publications

Silver WinnersThe Complete Caregiver Support Guide, Whole Person Associates
Pack Leader Psychology, Dog Ear Publishing

REFERENCE/DIRECTORIES

Gold WinnerThe Take-Charge Patient, Lemon Grove Press, LLC

Silver WinnersBlood on the Stage, 1975-2000: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection, The Scarecrow Press
Encyclopedia of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, Caminito Publishing LLC

REGIONAL

Gold WinnerPhotographing California, Graphie Int’l, Inc.

Silver WinnersThe Amana Landscape, Penfield Books
A Family Farm in Tuscany, Shearer Publishing

RELIGION

Gold WinnerMessages of Glory: The Narrative Art of Roman Catholicism, David-Flischel Enterprises, LLC

Silver WinnersThe Gospel of John, Photographed, Four Line Media
Isaiah and the Kingdom of Peace, ACTA Publications
Michelangelo’s Last Painting, Its Chilling Revelation, Dodd Merrill Press

SCIENCE

Gold WinnerExplore the West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau, Ocean Publishing

Silver WinnersThe Everyday Space Traveler, Space Traveler Publishing
What Went Wrong: The Truth Behind the Clinical Trial of the Enzyme Treatment of Cancer, New Spring Press LLC

SELF-HELP

Gold WinnerThe Cookie Book, Hunter House Inc., Publishers

Silver Winners3 Off the Tee: Make it Happen, Leda Publishing Corp.
The Take-Charge Patient, Lemon Grove Press, LLC

SPORTS & RECREATION

Gold WinnerPaddling North, Patagonia Books

Silver WinnersThe Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth, BillyFish Books
The Voyage of the Cormorant, Patagonia Books

TRAVEL

Gold WinnerYour Guide to the National Parks, Stone Road Press

Silver WinnersThe Adventurous Motorcyclist’s Guide to Alaska, Octane Press
Photographing the World, Graphie Int’l, Inc.

COVER DESIGN, FICTION

Gold WinnerDracula, Canterbury Classics

Silver WinnersApricot Year, Papalote Press
Tidal Wave 23 – A New World Order Thriller, Thomas J. Ryan

COVER DESIGN, NONFICTION

Gold WinnerInfinite West: Travels in South Dakota, South Dakota State Historical Society Press

Silver WinnersBuilding Soils Naturally, Acres USA
The Courtship of Two Doctors: A 1930s Love Story of Letters, Hope & Healing, Little Dove Press, LLC.
Hazelet’s Journal, Old Stone Press

COVER DESIGN-LARGE FORMAT

Gold Winner150 Years of Ravenscroft, Shock Design Books

Silver WinnersAnswering the Call, Schulhaus Publishing
Chinese Herbal Medicine: The Formulas of Dr. John H. F. Shen, Thieme Medical Publishers

COVER DESIGN-CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT

Gold WinnerTwas the Night Before Christmas, Grafton and Scratch Publishers

Silver WinnersHealthy Foods from A to Z / Comida sana de la A a la Z, Moonstone Press, LLC
How Hollyhocks Came to New Mexico, Rio Grande Books
Jilli, That’s Silly!, Mark Wayne Adams, Inc.

INTERIOR DESIGN-1-2 COLOR

Gold WinnerWord of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking, Greenleaf Book Group

Silver WinnersEducate Your Brain, Balance Point Publishing, LLC
Pee Where You Want: Man’s Best Friend Talks Back!, The Dottin Publishing Group

INTERIOR DESIGN, 3 OR MORE COLOR

Gold WinnerGold and Silver in the Mojave: Images of a Last Frontier, Sunbelt Publications

Silver Winners150 Years of Ravenscroft, Shock Design Books
The Artist’s Safari, Book Studio

INTERIOR DESIGN, CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT

Gold WinnerMajor Manners Presents Nite-Nite Soldier, Outhouse Ink Publishing

Silver WinnersQuinn’s Search for the Samurai, TowerView Press
Twas the Night Before Christmas, Grafton and Scratch Publishers

MOST IMPROVED REDESIGN

Gold Winner101 Great Gifts Kids Can Make, Gryphon House Inc.

Silver WinnersBaja California Plant Field Guide, 3rd Edition, Sunbelt Publications
Golf in the Nebraska Sand Hills: The Next Mecca for Golf, DGK Enterprises

BEST NEW VOICE (FICTION)

Gold WinnerCity of Woe, Seamus and Nunzio Productions, LLC

Silver WinnersCode of the Forest, Joggling Board Press
Echoes of Pemberley, Meryton Press

BEST NEW VOICE (NONFICTION)

Gold WinnerGhosts of Grandeur, The Donning Company Publishers

Silver WinnersA Family Farm in Tuscany, Shearer Publishing
Uncommon Beauty: Crisis Parenting From Day One, Beaver’s Pond Press

BEST NEW VOICE (CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT)

Gold WinnerLily, A Gray Whale’s Odyssey, Lucid Dreamer Productions

Silver WinnersNature’s Patchwork Quilt, Dawn Publications
Ripped – A Jack the Ripper Time-Travel Thriller, New Book Partners

THE BILL FISHER AWARD FOR BEST FIRST BOOK (FICTION)

Gold WinnerRipped – A Jack the Ripper Time-Travel Thriller, New Book Partners

Silver WinnersThe Iguana Speaks My Name, EgretBooks.com
Lonewalker, Inari Publishing LLC

THE BILL FISHER AWARD FOR BEST FIRST BOOK (NONFICTION)

Gold WinnerThe Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth, BillyFish Books

Silver WinnersLost Decency: The Untold Afghan Story, PublishNext
Messages of Glory: The Narrative Art of Roman Catholicism, David-Flischel Enterprises, LLC
Your Guide to the National Parks, Stone Road Press

THE BILL FISHER AWARD FOR BEST FIRST BOOK (CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT)

Gold WinnerShoe Print Art: Step Into Drawing, Hide & Seek Press

Silver WinnersEat It! Food Adventures with Marco Polo, S2P Press
Rangoli: An Indian Art Activity Book, Mazaa LLC

About IBPA

Founded in 1983, the Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest not-for-profit trade organization for publishers in the United States. IBPA's mission is to lead and serve the independent publishing community by providing advocacy, education, and tools for success. For more information, visit www.ibpa-online.org