Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction

Canada’s non-fiction books for young people are internationally renowned for the superb quality of their text, illustration and design. The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction was established by the Fleck Family Foundation and the Canadian Children's Book Centre on May 17, 1999 to recognize and raise the profile of these exceptional non-fiction books.

The $10,000 Norma Fleck Award is the largest of its kind in Canadian children’s books and is considered to be one of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes. The Norma Fleck Award is exclusively a non-fiction prize; most other Canadian’s children’s book prizes either evaluate fiction and non-fiction together, or don’t award non-fiction.

About Norma Fleck

The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction is named after Dr. Jim Fleck’s mother, Norma Marie Byrnes, who fostered a love of reading in her children and grandchildren. Norma worked as a nurse until she married Robert Douglas Fleck in 1930, and raised three sons during the Depression with energy, good spirits and creativity.

A lifelong avid reader herself, Norma read to her children and encouraged them to read. “Mother believed that quality reading enriches one’s life,” says Jim Fleck. “She would be greatly pleased by this award in her name.” Norma Fleck died in 1998 at the age of 92.

Previous Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction Winners and Finalists

CRITERIA AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Eligibility:

• Non-fiction books in the following categories are eligible: Culture and the Arts, Science, Biography, History, Geography, Reference, Sports, Activities and Pastimes.

Breadth and Depth of Information:

• Research must be sound and the information contained in the book must be correct and current.
• Treatment of the material must be respectful of the subject and of the reader.

Presentation:

• All nominated books must have good production values, with a visual design that presents the material in a clear and engaging manner.

Criteria:

• Text must be of exceptional quality and present the subject matter in a way that both informs and excites interest. Visuals, also of an exceptional quality, should clarify, extend and complement the text.
• The winning entry will be based on an original subject or will explore a familiar subject in a new and interesting way.

General Information:

• There will be five shortlisted books resulting in one winner and four honour books.
• The award is for the book. The award will go to the author unless 40% or more of the text area is composed of original illustrations, in which case the award will be divided equally between author and illustrator.
• Only those books written and illustrated by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants will be considered.

Selection of the Jury:

• There will be a minimum of three jury members and the total, if more, will be an uneven number
• The jury will always include at least three of the following: a teacher, a librarian, a bookseller and a reviewer.
• There should be at least one new jury member each year.
• A juror will have a deep understanding of and some professional involvement with Canadian children’s books.
• The Canadian Children’s Book Centre will select the jury.

Submission Information:

Please send seven (7) copies of each title, up to five titles per publisher, along with a completed Title Submission Form to:

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction
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 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction please contact Meghan Howe at 416.975.0010.

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