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News RoomLIANZA announces its shortlist for the Children's Book Awards 2007
24 August 2007The LIANZA Children's Book Awards, including New Zealand's longest running book prize, announces its 2007 shortlist in the fiction, non-fiction, illustrated book, and te reo Māori categories. These awards celebrate the unique contribution made to cultural heritage and national identity by New Zealand children's authors and illustrators. Four awards are offered. They are: the Esther Glen Award, the Russell Clark Award, the Elsie Locke Award, and the Te Kura Pounamu. Shortlisted titles for the LIANZA Children's Book Awards 2007 are: The Esther Glen AwardEstablished in 1945, this is both New Zealand's longest running book award and this country's oldest award for children's literature. It is offered to the author of a work which is considered to be a distinguished contribution to literature for children or young people.
The Russell Clark AwardEstablished in 1975, the Russell Clark Award is presented to the artist or illustrator of a work which is considered to be a distinguished contribution to literature for children or young people. The artist or illustrator must be a citizen or resident of New Zealand.
The Elsie Locke AwardEstablished in 1986 and previously called the LIANZA Young People's Non-fiction Award, the Elsie Locke Award is presented to the author of a work which is considered to be a distinguished contribution to literature for children or young people.
Te Kura PounamuEstablished in 1995, the Te Kura Pounamu is presented to the author for a work in te reo Māori that is considered to be a distinguished contribution to literature for children or young people in and promotes excellence of library resources in Māori.
10 publishers are represented by the 24 shortlisted books (including one series). 80 entries were received and the judges made their own further recommendations which led to 106 titles being considered overall. These awards are an excellent opportunity for the library profession to recognise the recent work of New Zealand's children's authors and illustrators. The judges were very impressed by the standard of many of the entries, especially in the area of fiction which resulted in six titles being shortlisted for the Esther Glen Award. "This year's finalists are the best I have come across in my 3 years as judge," says panel convenor Bob Docherty. "We named 6 finalists for the Esther Glen Award and could easily have named fifteen." For the non-fiction titles in the Elsie Locke Award Docherty says, "It is a joy to see the colourful, interesting resources that are available to present aspects of the world and history to New Zealand's young people." Docherty continues, "There was a very strong line-up for this year's Russell Clark Award. It included several well-established children's illustrators as well as some comparative newcomers. While our focus was predominantly on excellence in illustration, an all-important aspect for us was whether the illustration enhanced an already strong story, and how consistently and effectively it achieved this." The judges for the Te Kura Pounamu Award found that the quality and quantity of both fiction and non-fiction books was equally high and recommended that two awards should be given in the future, one for each division. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony taking place from 11am on Tuesday 11 September at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua as part of the LIANZA Annual Conference. For more information, book jacket images, or to arrange interviews, please contact:
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