About the Beehive Book Award

Each year the Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU), a volunteer organization of individuals who have a personal or professional interest in children's literature, sponsors the Beehive Book Award to help motivate young people to read.  The award winning book in each category is chosen by the children and students of Utah who read ten to twelve books and vote on their favorite. The title with the highest percentage of votes from the children wins the award.   In order to prepare the lists of the ten to twelve books members of CLAU create a long list of books which though a committee process is then whittled down to the top twelve. 

The Beehive Book Award Process

  Each award category has a nominating committee who is in charge of overseeing the process of creating and evaluating the long lists that are evaluated and whittled down to create the short list which is the list of the 10-12 books that go out to be read and voted on by the children of Utah.

The process follows the subsequent timeline:

1)      August  and September – Nominations for books to consider for the long list are accepted

2)      September – The nominating committee meets to nominate their own books and to consider others.  During this meeting the committee agrees upon the books that will be on the long list.

3)      September through January – The committee members read and get others to read each of the books on the long list.  Committee members and readers submit their evaluations of the books on official CLAU review forms.

4)      January – All review forms from committee members and other readers are gathered.  The nominating committee meets to compile the information from these reviews.  The committee then uses this information to refine and create the short list.

5)      January-February—Finalized short lists are approved by the CLAU Board

6)      March-April – Short lists are announced to CLAU members and the community

7)      August-March – Children and students read and vote on the short lists

8)      March-April – Votes are submitted and counted and winners are announced.

CLAU members are welcome to participate both as nominating committee members and readers.

CLAU members who are interested in being on the committee should contact the specific committee chair.  Please note that the specific duties of the nominating committee are to:

1)      Attend two meetings, one in September and one in January

2)      Nominate between 1 and 8 books for the “Long List”

3)      Read as many books as possible on the long lists and get others to read them as well.

CLAU members may also serve as readers for long list books, those interested should also contact the specific committee chair.



CLAU Criteria for Nominations

CLAU members and members of the community may nominate books for long list consideration.  Nominations should follow the guidelines below and be submitted here to the specific committee chair by September.

UTAH CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK AWARD
Eligibility and Selection Criteria for Nominees 
  •  Titles nominated should be appropriate for grades kindergarten through third grade. 
  •  Titles must have illustrations that create interest and complement the text. 
  •  Titles are evaluated in regard to originality, artistic worth, reader appeal, literary quality, and imagination.
  •  Suitability of vocabulary, content, characterization, and comprehension for the intended age levels are also considered. 
  •  Only titles published in the U.S. in the 4 years preceding the award year are eligible. 
  •  Caldecott Award Medal Winners are not eligible. 
  • Author and illustrator may be residents of any country. 
  • Only one title by any one author or illustrator may be included on any annual list. 
  • Titles must be currently in print. 
  • A title may appear only once on a nomination list.  Once a title has appeared, it will be excluded from subsequent lists. 
  • Each book must have been reviewed by a minimum of five readers to be eligible.
  • Each book should have at least two favorable reviews in professionally recognized review sources or be recommended by three Board members.
  • Both the author and the illustrator of the winning title will receive awards. 
The Children's Literature Association of Utah does not necessarily recommend that all children read all books. The nominees offer books covering a variety of interests and subject matter.  We encourage parents to read and discuss these books with their children.     
 
UTAH CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD
Eligibility and Selection Criteria for Nominations

  •  Titles nominated shall be appropriate for grades 3-6. 
  •  Only titles published in the 4 years preceding the award year are eligible. 
  • Newbery or Caldecott Award Medal winners are not eligible. 
  • An author may be a resident of any country. 
  • Only one title of any one author will be included on any annual list. 
  • Each book must have been reviewed by a minimum of five readers to be eligible.
  • Titles must be currently in print. An attempt will be made to choose as many as possible that are available in paperback. 
  • A title may appear only once on a nomination list. Once a title has appeared, it will be excluded from subsequent lists. 
  • Titles are considered for reader appeal/popularity and literary quality. Books that are intended to amuse and entertain are considered along with more serious or literary works. 
  • Titles are evaluated in regard to originality, artistic worth, imagination, and author's reputation.
  • Suitability of vocabulary, content, characterization and comprehension for intended age levels are also considered. 
  • Topic interest, concern and/or which reflect children's experiences will be considered. 
  • The final list of nominees attempts to provide a balance in reading levels, genres, subject areas, reader interest, and appeal. 
  • Each book should have at least two favorable reviews in professionally recognized review sources or be recommended by three Board members.
  • While we know that some of the books may not appeal to every reader, the Executive Board will select books, which we feel, will be of interest to and deal with relevant issues in the lives of children. 
The Children’s Literature Association of Utah does not necessarily recommend that all children read all books.  The nominees offer books covering a variety of interests and subject matter, we encourage parents to read and discuss these books with their children.   
 
UTAH CHILDREN'S INFORMATIONAL BOOK AWARD
Eligibility and Selection Criteria for Nominations 

  • Titles nominated shall be appropriate for Grades 3-9. 
  • Only titles published in the 4 years preceding the award year are eligible. 
  • Newbery or Caldecott Award Medal winners are not eligible. 
  • An author may be a resident of any country. 
  • Only one title of any one author will be included on any annual list. 
  • Titles must be currently in print.
  • A title may appear only once on a nomination list. Once a title has appeared, it will be excluded from subsequent lists. 
  • Books are considered that act as a catalyst to the majority of readers, to excite their curiosity and interest in the knowledge area presented. 
  • The writing should communicate the author's personal enthusiasm and interest in the knowledge area covered by the book. 
  • Books nominated should do more than give accurate facts. Relationships of the topic to the larger world should be apparent. 
  • Illustrations should help create excitement and clarify the topic.
  • Each book must have been reviewed by a minimum of five readers to be eligible.
  • Each book should have at least two favorable reviews in professionally recognized review sources or be recommended by three Board members.
The Children’s Literature Association of Utah does not necessarily recommend that all children read all books.  The nominees offer books covering a variety of interests and subject matter, we encourage parents to read and discuss these books with their children.     
 
 
UTAH YOUNG ADULT BOOK AWARD
Eligibility and Selection Criteria For Nominations 

  •  Titles nominated will be appropriate for Grades 7-12. 
  •  Titles must be published in the 4 years preceding the award year. 
  • Newbery or Printz Award medal winners are not eligible for nomination. 
  • Only one title of any one author will be included on any annual list. 
  • Titles must be currently in print. An attempt will be made to choose as many as possible that are available in paperback. It is not necessary for a title to be available in hardcover.  
  • A title may appear only once on a nomination list. 
  • The residence of the author is not a consideration. 
  • Only books of fiction are eligible for nomination.
  • There will be an attempt to balance the list between the various genres of literature; i.e. fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, etc., and student age and interest. 
  • Each book must have been read by a minimum of five readers from the reading committee. 
  • Each book should have at least two favorable reviews in professionally recognized review sources. 
  • Titles are considered for reader appeal and literary quality. 
  • Suitability of vocabulary, content, characterization and comprehension for the intended audience will be considered. 
  • While we know that some of the books on the list may not appeal to every reader the Executive Board will select books which we feel will be of interest to young adults and deal with relevant issues in the lives of teenagers.    


The Children’s Literature Association of Utah does not necessarily recommend that all children read all books. The nominees offer books covering a variety of interests and subject matter, we encourage parents to read and discuss these books with their children.
 
 
UTAH POETRY BOOK AWARD
Eligibility and Selection Criteria For Nominations

  • Titles nominated should be appropriate for kindergarten through ninth grade. 
  • Titles must have illustrations or photographs that create interest and complement the text. 
  • Titles are evaluated in regard to originality, rhyme, rhythm, visual appeal, and literary quality and age appropriateness. 
  • Titles may be collections or single author poems. 
  • Only one title by any one author or illustrator may be included on any annual list. 
  • Caldecott and Newbery Award winners are not eligible. 
  • Only titles published in the U.S. in the 3 years proceeding the award year are eligible. 
  • Titles must currently be in print. 
  • A title may appear only once on a final nomination list. Once a title has appeared, it will be excluded from subsequent lists. 
  • Each book must have a minimum of five readers from the reading committee. 
  •  Each book should have at least two favorable reviews in professionally recognized review sources or be recommended by three Board members.
The Children's Literature Association of Utah does not necessarily recommend that all children read all books, the nominees offer books covering a variety of interests and subject matter. We encourage parents to read and discuss these books with their children.