SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library has opened nominations for the 22nd annual Minnesota Book Awards, honoring the state's finest authors and artistic creators. Eight categories recognize and celebrate the best in Minnesota literature: Children's Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People's Literature.
Anyone may nominate an eligible book by completing the nomination form and submitting five nonreturnable copies of the book, plus the $40 nomination fee, to The Friends' office. Nomination forms and the eligibility and entry guidelines are available online at www.thefriends.org or by calling 651/366-6497. Nominations close at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2009.
Finalists in the eight categories will be announced on January 31, 2010. Winners will be announced at the 22nd annual Minnesota Books Awards gala on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Saint Paul Riverfront. Ticket information for the celebration will be available in early 2010.
In addition, all Minnesotans are invited to take part in voting online for the Readers' Choice Award during the month of March 2010. At that time, readers will be able to visit TwinCities.com to vote for one of the finalists in the above listed categories. The finalist with the most votes will be awarded the Readers' Choice Award, sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com.
Nominations are also open for the Minnesota Book Artist Award, co-sponsored by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. This award recognizes a Minnesota book artist or long-standing book artist collaborative group for excellence of artistic work in the book arts, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota's book arts community. Nominations remain open through Friday, October 30, 2009. Nomination information is available at www.thefriends.org or by calling 651/366-6497.
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In October 2009, nominations open for the Kay Sexton Award, which recognizes long-standing dedication and outstanding work in fostering books, reading, and literary activity in Minnesota. This award, sponsored by Common Good Books, honors Kay Sexton, a book buyer for many years at Dayton's and B. Dalton Bookstores in the Twin Cities.
Visit www.thefriends.org for more information about the Book Awards, including listings of previous years' winners and finalists.
The Minnesota Book Awards is a statewide, year-round outreach program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in partnership with the Office of the Mayor of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Public Library.
