One of the most exciting times for the profession is the stage when nominations open for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals, the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards award for an outstanding reading experience created respectively through writing and illustration. On the opening day of nominations, we are pleased to have the opportunity to speak with the award co-ordinator, Amy McKay, to glean exclusive behind the scenes insights.
Amy starts by discussing her job. There are numerous duties the awards co-cordinator has, these include looking after the judges and ensuring they are organised and on track with the Herculian reading task they face. There are also meeting sto organise as well as overseeing the nominations, communicating with regions about their choices days, checking eligibility and monitoring what has been published. 'It's a really busy point in the year,' Amy explains, 'but it's also one of the most exciting as this is when the process begins.'
After pondering which part of the role she enjoys the most, Amy says, 'working closely with the judges is definitely one of the highlights, you see them grow in confidence across the two years and it's fascinating to hear their opinions and thoughts'.
'It's so important that people nominate the books they are most passionate about,' Amy enthuses, 'without nominations and the profession's engagement, the awards would not exist.' What makes a good nomination? Amy feels consideration of the criteria is key and that the books need to have an x-factor, something more than just enjoyment. Nominations don't have to be massively long, Amy urges. Statements are an integral part of the process and can be used in judging discussions to help widen debate and give insight to other viewpoints and experiences. 'It is passion that really shines through.'
The nominations lists provide a snapshot of contemporary publishing for children and young people and are valuable for all of the profession. They can be useful for stock and collections providing insight into what other professionals consider as outstanding and presenting a curated list for selection. It is something Amy uses herself to help with selecting for the bustling school library in Corby where she works.
This year has seen changes to the nomination's process with members of CILIP able to nominate only one per medal within a two week window, making it even more crucial to carefully consider the titles being put forward. Amy gives some top tips for nominating:
- Consider the criteria and how the books you put forward match these
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Think carefully about all you've read and not just the latest titles as books are eligible for 2020 cycle from 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2019. Amy mentions that she keeps a reading journal so that she does not overlook the books published in the first months of nominations.
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Nominations don't have to be hugely long, strong nominations tend to be formed around the criteria headlines - plot, theme, characterisation and style for the Carnegie and aristic style, format, synergy of illustration and text and visual experience for the Kate Greenaway - and are usually clear and concise.
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Enjoy nominating as it is a real statement of belief in the work of illustrators, authors and publishers alike and acts as a flagship for the expertise of the profession
- Use resources like publishers lists, CILIP's new 'Pen & Inc' magazine https://www.cilip.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=penandinc to raise awareness to make sure that some of the titles by smaller independent publishers that might not have the same promotional budgets do not get overlooked.
Nominations are open now until Friday 27 September, visit https://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/awards-process.php to put forward your choices.
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