NCompass Live: The Golden Sower Award: Nebraska's Children's Choice Literary Award

Golden Sower AwardNebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award

History of the Award• Initiated by Karla Hawkins Wendelin and Dee Storey at the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Currently sponsored by the School, Children’s & Young People’s Section (SCYP) of the Nebraska Library Association

• The Sower, the bronze statue atop the capitol building in Lincoln, was chosen as the symbol of the award

Goal of the Award

• stimulate children's thinking

• introduce different types of literature

• encourage independent reading

• increase library skills

• foster an appreciation for excellence in writing and illustrating

Three children's choice awards presented annually:

• Primary category: titles appropriate for grades kindergarten through 3

• Intermediate category: titles appropriate for grades 4 through 6

• Young Adult category: titles appropriate for grades 6 through 9

•1981 - First award presented to Deborah and James Howe for Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

•Only one category, Intermediate

•4,185 voters

•1983 – First Primary award

•Author Judy Barrett and illustrator Ron Barrett for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

•With the addition of the Primary category, votes grew to 9,960

•1993 – First Young Adult award

• Joan Lowery Nixon for Whispers From the Dead

•With three categories, vote totals reached 59,688

How do I participate?

•All schools and libraries in Nebraska may submit votes•No fees or registration required•Provide copies of the nominees for

students to read•Collect student votes and submit

them online

• Students must read/hear read at least 4 of the current nominees from one list to vote• Submit students’ votes online by April 15th •Winners are announced May 1st •Winning authors and illustrators are

invited to attend the NLA/NSLA fall conference to receive their awards

How do titles become Golden Sower Award nominees?

• Teachers, librarians, students and parents from across Nebraska may submit titles that they feel should be considered for the nominee lists• Lists of suggested titles are provided to a

selection committee of volunteer readers across the state• Volunteers read as many of the titles as

possible and vote for the 10 in each category they feel are the best

Nomination Information

• Nominees must meet the criteria outlined. • Elementary students may nominate titles for the Primary

list and for the Intermediate list. • Middle school or junior high students may nominate titles

for the Young Adult list.• The person nominating the title must have read the book.• Nominations submitted by students should be submitted

through their teacher, media specialist, librarian, or parent to assure the book meets the Golden Sower Award criteria requirements.

Criteria for Nomination

• Nominated titles should exhibit literary and/or artistic merit.• Eligible titles must have been published within

the last two years.• Nominated titles should reflect an equitable

consideration for a culturally diverse society.• The content must be age appropriate for readers

of the category the title is nominated for.

Criteria for Nomination (cont’d)

• Nonfiction titles that are nominated should exhibit narrative and/or artistic quality (suitable for reading aloud).• Only the first title in a series may be nominated. The story line must be self-contained without a cliffhanger ending.• Titles must be in print at the time of nomination.• Newbery or Caldecott Award winners are not eligible for nomination; however, Honor Books may be nominated.

Criteria for Nomination (cont’d)

• The authors and/or illustrators should be living in the United States at the time of nomination.• Only one title of any one author or illustrator will be included on the current lists.• Authors and illustrators represented on final Golden Sower Award lists may be repeated, but not individual titles.• The winning Golden Sower Award author and/or

illustrator will be excluded from competition the following year.

How can I become a volunteer reader?

Primary and/or Intermediate lists:Shawna Lindner

slindner@kearneygov.org

Young Adult list:Jill Annis jannis@epsne.org

Contact Information:

Kathy SchultzChair, Golden Sower Award Committeeschultz-2@inebraska.com

Marsha BradburyHistorian, Golden Sower Award Committee

Sally Snydersally.snyder@nebraska.gov

Golden Sower AwardWebsite

www.goldensower.org

• Information for adults working with the Golden Sower Award Program

• Golden Sower Award Store• Virtual Museum