Dear Publishers and Authors,
Since 2006, the Cybils Awards have been honoring the best children’s and young adult books of the year. Each year our panels of judges select finalists and winners in a number of categories, based on our criteria of literary merit and kid appeal. We also actively seek to honor books that provide authentic representation of varied genders, races, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, abilities, and orientations.
You, the creators of the books we love, are an important part of the process. Usually we reach out to you in the fall with an opportunity to submit any books not nominated by the public, and to send review copies to our judges.
This year is a little different. For various reasons, including the current social and political climate, we have made the hard decision to put the awards on hiatus for this year. However, that doesn’t mean that we will be silent. Our Cybils values are under attack: the diversity we care about is being portrayed as a negative thing, and the very foundations of free speech are under attack. It’s more important than ever to promote good children’s and young adult literature that represents the rich diversity of our nation.
In lieu of the structured awards, we will be focusing on sharing Cybils-worthy books identified by our judges on our social media. If you’d like to participate, you can offer review copies (electronic or print) to our judges by filling out this form. Please note:
- We are particularly looking for diverse books with authentic representation;
- We do not guarantee that a review copy will result in a review;
- Please be sure to leave instructions for how judges can obtain a copy directly. This could be an email address, a link to download, or any other method. Unlike the regular awards cycle, I will not be contacting you directly or acting as an intermediary for review copies.
- This information will not be shared publicly and will only be shared privately with those who have been Cybils judges in recent years.
We hope that you will continue to join us in celebrating and promoting wonderful books that children will love. We hope to be able to return to the more structured award program in future years.
If you have any questions please email me at publishers@cybils.com
Sheila Ruth
Publisher Liaison