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The YALSA Writing Award honors the best writing in YALSA’s blogs and journals. Prizes will be given for a winning article in each of the journals and blogs. As of 2011 they are: Young Adult Library Services, the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, the YALSAblog, and The Hub: YALSA’s Teen Collections Blog.

The winners for the journals will receive $500, due to the more extensive nature of their work. The winners for the blog posts will receive $200. All winners will receive a plaque. If there are co-authors for an article, they will share the cash prize equally and each of them will receive a plaque.

The YALSA Writing Award recognizes authors who have written an article or blog post for the association’s journals or blogs that is timely, original, relevant to YALSA members, and well-written.

Selection is based upon the quality and appropriateness of the submitted items. Items will be selected based on the following criteria: applicability to a variety of library settings, originality of ideas, timeliness, relevance to young adult librarianship, persuasiveness of arguments, quality of writing, clarity of presentation, and contribution to the YALSA membership. The articles must address young adult library services or information regarding young adults that can be applied usefully to young adult library services.

Number and Frequency of Award

There will be one winner named for each publication each year, including Best YALS article, best JRLYA article, best YALSAblog post, and best The Hub post.

The calendar for journals will be based on their volume year. Blog awards will be based on a Dec. 1–Nov. 30 award year to give the jury enough time to judge entries by the end of Midwinter Meeting.

Award Administration and Jury

The editor and/or blog manager of each publication will select five articles or posts that he or she believes to be the best articles of the year. Those five articles will be sent to a YALSA Writing Award Jury, who will select the four winners from the pool of 20. The Jury will be a group of members appointed annually by the YALSA President-Elect for the express purpose of determining the winners of the award. YALSA members with writing and editing experience will be sought out to serve on the jury. The jury’s term will run from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Deadline for Nomination of Candidates

Given the number of publications involved, editors and blog managers should forward their top five candidates to the jury chair by Dec. 1, allowing time for the committee to make their decision by the end of the Midwinter Meeting of the following calendar year. Deadlines and information about the award will be posted on YALSA’s web site and in each of the publications.

Selection of Award

Criteria for Eligibility for All Categories

• Selection is based upon the quality and appropriateness of the submitted material. Manuscripts and blog posts will be selected based on the following criteria: applicability to a variety of library settings, originality of ideas, timeliness, relevance to young adult librarianship, persuasiveness of arguments, quality of writing, clarity of presentation, and contribution to the YALSA membership.
• If the jury determines that no suitable articles have been received, no award will be given.

Eligibility for Journals

• Articles must have been published in the previous volume.
• Articles must be feature length (1,500-8,000 words).

Eligibility for Blogs

• Articles must have been published during the calendar year.
• Articles must be no more than 1,000 words.

Presentation of the Award

The Award winners will be announced via press release at the conclusion of the Midwinter Meeting. A list of winners’ names will be published on the YALSA blogs and in a future issue of Young Adult Library Services. The recipients will be recognized at the annual YALSA Membership Meeting and through YALSA’s communication channels, which include YALSA’s blogs, website, Twitter feed, email discussion lists, and more.

Winners

Learn more about previous honorees.