Hello Friends!

Once again, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)—the largest association of independent publishers with over 3,500 members—is looking for book industry professionals with the credentials to serve as judges for the 37th annual IBPA Book Award™ program (previously the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award), the most prestigious book awards program available to independent publishers and author publishers. We are excited to report the award program underwent rebranding which included the integration of seven new categories. You can read more about that here.

https://www.ibpabookaward.org/rebranding

We are looking for judges capable of judging print books, graphic novels, audiobooks....or all three! See https://www.ibpabookaward.org/ for more information.

The implicitly understood, deeply-held convictions that guide the spirit and nature of the IBPA staff, board of directors, and volunteers (including our much appreciated IBPA Book Award program judges) are:

TRUST: moral, respectful, consistent
SERVICE: compassionate, caring, capable of "tough love"
LEADERSHIP: decisive, influential, professional

In addition, we strive for professionalism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Thursday, August 31, 2024

This 37th Annual IBPA Book Award Program (previously the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards) - Judges' Application" was developed to help IBPA find the best possible judges for its annual program. Starting early September 2024, IBPA will let you know if you've been chosen to judge this year's program. You will be assigned a category at that time, as well.

What makes our awards program unique, and something we are very proud of, is that the program is both a celebration of excellence and an educational program. Each participant receives professional feedback which helps them to improve their future publishing efforts. The judging forms and comments are shared with each publisher.

Thank you for your interest in serving the independent publishing community through the IBPA Book Award program. We appreciate you!

Andrea Fleck-Nisbet
IBPA Chief Executive Officer

Terry Nathan
IBPA Chief Operations Officer

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