Speak Out Feb 2020 DIGITAL EDITION. pdf

Association news

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Speech Pathology Australia

Book of the Year 2020 The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards raise awareness of the role speech pathologists play in assisting people of all ages to develop their language and literacy skills. In 2020, the Indigenous Children’s Book category will become the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book category and subsumed across the other four categories. Further detail about this initiative is outlined below. This reform follows consultation with the Association’s Aboriginal and Torres Islanders Advisory Committee and a leading publisher of Indigenous Children’s books. The Book of the Year Awards will retain its four age-related categories, with the best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authored children’s book judged from across these categories. • Birth to 3 years • Three to 5 years • Five to 8 years • Eight to 10 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book Speech Pathology Australia is committed to reducing the gap in literacy levels between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children. In 2020, the Indigenous Children’s Book category has been renamed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book category. A book written by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author will, in addition to being judged in the age-related category for which it was nominated (and shortlisted), be eligible for judging for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book Award. This means a booked authored by an Indigenous author could win both its age-related category and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book Award. While the reform is designed to give fillip to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, the change is primarily intended to promote pride in Indigenous culture and language, and encourage

readers to explore ideas and concepts through the lens of Indigenous culture/community. Call for nominations Do you have a favourite children’s book that you believe should be nominated for this year’s awards? The Association is seeking nominations for children’s books that speech pathologists feel promote oral language development and literacy skills in the various award categories. A book needs to be exciting and stimulating, and satisfy the eligibility criteria: • written by an Australian author; • readily available in Australia; • published in 2019 or 2020; • retail for no more than $55; • facilitate interaction and collaboration; • appeal to children; and • maintain high production standards (graphics, design, paper stock, etc.). The nomination form is available from the Book of the Year page on the Association’s website. The deadline for nominations is 27 March 2020. Hall of Fame nominations When warranted, Speech Pathology Australia presents its Children’s Language and Literature Award . This is the Association’s Hall of Fame award. The award recognises authors who have contributed significantly to children’s language and literature. The award is not presented every year but only when a stand-out candidate is nominated by a member. The relevant nomination form and selection criteria are available from the Book of the Year page on the Association’s website. The deadline for nominations is 15 March. The last author inducted into the Speech Pathology Australia Hall of Fame was Morris Gleitzman in 2018. Michael Kerrisk Manager Communications and Marketing

7

February 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out