Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

The Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, established in 2006, honours excellence in the illustrated picture book format. The prize is awarded annually and in 2008, the cash prize was increased from $10,000 to $20,000. To be eligible, the book must be an original work in English, aimed at children ages three to eight, written and illustrated by Canadians and first published in Canada. Eligible genres include fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Charles Baillie, retired Chairman and CEO of the TD Bank Financial Group, established the prize as a gift to his wife, Marilyn Baillie. As an award-winning children’s book author and an Early Learning specialist, Marilyn is involved in and passionate about this field.

About Marilyn Baillie

Marilyn Baillie has had many careers including nursery school teacher, lecturer at the Royal Ontario Museum, interior designer in New York City, magazine and book editor, publishing consultant and children’s book author. She currently lives in Toronto and Vermont with her husband.

Marilyn has travelled extensively with her family including adventures in Egypt, Kenya, the Galapagos and Papua New Guinea. She is an avid bird watcher and naturalist, which complement the environmental themes in her books. Marilyn is also a former editor of Chickadee magazine.

In addition to authoring OWL’s Amazing Things Animals Do series – Side by Side, Wild Talk, Time to Eat and Little Wonders – Marilyn’s previous credits include editing and compiling Science Surprises, More Science Surprises, and writing Magical Fun, all from Owl.

Previous Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award Winners and Finalists

CRITERIA AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Eligibility:

• Eligible genres are fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
• Books must be published between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year.
• Books must be originally published in Canada, have an ISBN and must be available for purchase by the general public.
• Author and illustrator must be Canadian or a Permanent Resident.
• Books must be in English.
• Stories must be original (i.e., not a retelling of a story already published such as a fairy tale or folk tale)
• Books must not have been previously published.
• Award is only for books in the printed format, as distinct from digital and audio visual formats.
• 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’.
• Books in manuscript form are not eligible for this award.

Criteria:

• The award will be made to outstanding books of the picture book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity.
• The book should be aimed at young children aged three to eight years old.
• The book must give equal consideration to the text and visual material.
• There should be a seamless integration of text, illustration and design.

Juror Information:

• There will be a total of three jurors.
• The juror term is two years.
• No authors or illustrators of children’s books in contention may serve as jurors.
• Jurors will be chosen among booksellers, reviewers, educators, teacher-librarians, librarians, consultants, authors and illustrators and other experts in field of children’s literature.

Submission Information:

Please send five (5) copies of each title along with a completed Title Submission Form to:
Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
c/o The Canadian Children's Book Centre
40 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 101
Toronto, ON M4R 1B9

Deadline for submissions is December 18, 2009. This is a firm deadline. All submissions must be received by this date (not postmarked by this date) as our office will be closing for the holidays and we will not be able to receive packages after this time. Titles must be selected from books published between January 1 and December 31, 2009.

If you have any questions regarding the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award please contact Meghan Howe at 416.975.0010.

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