Indie Authors | Tammy Carter Bronson

Was your book published in 2011? Do you want to enter your book for awards? Some deadlines have passed, but several awards are still accepting submissions. Here are three lists that I created of awards for children’s picture books. I rank the awards as “Best”, “Recommended”, or “Expensive”. Keep in mind these lists are not meant to be comprehensive. There are hundreds of awards out there!

BEST PICTURE BOOK AWARDS
(Organized chronologically by the deadline due date for a book with a 2011 copyright.)

Year	Name	Deadline	Winners Announced	Minimum Cost
2012	IRA Teacher’s Choices List/Awards	7/22/11	4/29/12	FREE
2011	Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards	9/17/11	10/17/11	$95
2012	Benjamin Franklin Awards	9/30/2011 or 12/31/11	4/1/12	$90
2012	Reader Views Annual Literary Awards	10/31/11	3/25/12	$75
2012	Wanda Gág Read Aloud Book Award	12/16/11	5/1/12	FREE
2012	Theodor Seuss Geisel Award	12/31/11	1/15/12	FREE
2012	Caldecott	12/31/11	1/15/12	FREE
2012	Notable Children’s Books	12/31/11	1/15/12	FREE
2012	Gryphon Award	12/31/11	2/1/12	FREE
2012	Golden Kite Award (SCBWI)	12/31/11	8/1/12	FREE
2011	ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards	1/13/12	5/1/12	$99
2012	Indie Book Awards	2/24/12	5/1/12	$75
2012	Giverny Book Award	3/1/12	4/1/12	FREE
2012	Boston-Globe Horn Book Award	5/15/12	6/1/12	FREE

Click on the award above to visit its page or learn more about each award on my upcoming blog post entitled: FOURTEEN PICTURE BOOK AWARDS.

RECOMMENDED PICTURE BOOK AWARDS
(Organized chronologically by the deadline due date for a book with a 2011 copyright.)

Year	Name	Deadline	Winners Announced	Minimum Cost
2012	Children’s Choices Reading List/Award	7/22/11	4/1/12	CBC member ship
2011	Parent’s Choice Awards	8/22/11	11/17/11	$100
2011	USA Best Books Awards	9/30/11	10/31/11	$69
2012	Nautilus Awards	1/15/12	6/1/12	$155
2012	IPPY Award	3/15/12	5/1/12	$75

Click on the award above to visit its page or learn more about each award on my upcoming blog post entitled: FIVE PICTURE BOOK AWARDS YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE.

EXPENSIVE PICTURE BOOK AWARDS
The minimum cost is per title per category. Late entries for the Learning Magazine Awards can cost $225/category.

Year	Name	Deadline	Winners Announced	Minimum Cost
2012	Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Awards for the Family	7/22/11	12/2/11	$195
2013	Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Awards for Classroom	?	?	$195
2013	Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Awards for Children	?	?	$195
2012	Mom’s Choice Awards	Varies	Varies	$300
2012	Children’s Choices Reading List/Award	7/22/11	4/1/12	CBC member ship

Learn more about these awards on my upcoming blog post entitled: THE HIGH COST OF ENTERING or AWARDS FOR THE BOTTOMLESS BUDGET.

Most states also give awards for picture books. In order to be considered for a state award, your book must be assigned to the state reading list. Cynthia Leitich Smith compiled a great list of State Awards for Children’s and YA Books.

State Book Awards are also listed at:

http://www.corecollections.net/lib_book_awards.htm

Here is great blog post about evaluating the benefits of literary awards. This post has some great advice. I highly recommend reading it before entering your unpublished (or published) work into a contest:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2010/12/some-tips-on-evaluating-literary.html

Do you know of an award not listed on this page? Let me know via email: authorvisits @ tammybronson.com.

Yesterday I autographed copies of my new book, “Sea Horse, run!”, at Nightbird Books on Dickson Street in Fayetteville. Nightbird is an independent bookseller that supports and encourages Indie authors. Of course the greatest benefit of a book signing is that it allows the author to make a personal connection with readers, but yesterday’s event was a special treat because it allowed me to meet another local children’s book author, Dawn Denton. Her first book, Ruby and Rocket, came out last year, and her latest book, Oliver the Toad, was just published last month.

One thing Dawn and I have in common is that we both like to use our books to educate children. I put factual information at the end of my books after the story, but Dawn weaves her amazing facts into the stories themselves. Dawn is a certified Arkansas Master Gardener, so both Ruby and Rocket and Oliver the Toad were inspired by her extensive knowledge of gardens and the beneficial animals and insects that live in them. Dawn lives in Siloam Springs, and her books are perfect for children ages 4 to 9!