Speak Out February 2016

B o o k of the

y e a r

In 2016 five award categories will be contested including: • Birth to 3 years of age • Three to 5 years of age • Five to 8 years of age • Eight to 10 years of age • Indigenous Children As in 2015, the Birth to three years category is strongly supported by Let’s Read Australia. awards 2016 The 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. 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 five 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 2015 or 2016; • retail for no more than $30; • 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 18 March. 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 and 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. There was no award in 2015. Seeking judges Each of the five categories of the Book of the Year uses the services of eight volunteer judges. All judges are asked to read and critique the shortlisted books according to a pre-prepared judging template. Once the judging process is complete all the reviewed books are donated by a judge to an organisation that will benefit from receiving them. If you are interested in judging the Book of the Year Awards in 2016 you will need to satisfy the following criteria: • have an interest in children’s language and literature, • some paediatric experience (this may be through work or family experience), • the time over June to August to read and critique approximately 12 shortlisted books, • the ability to work to a strict time deadline. If that sounds like you, please email marketing@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au with the following details: • your name, • the category you would prefer to judge (one only) a very brief description of why you would be a good judge. The closing date for expressions of interest for judging is 15 April. Please note that preference is given to members who were Book of the Year judges in 2015. • postal address, • contact details,

MICHAEL KERRISK Marketing and Communications Manager

Speak Out February 2016

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