If you are interested in booking one of our Author Talks presenters, please complete the following application at least 8 weeks prior to your desired event date. Our authors include 2024 Colorado Book Awards finalists and winners and 2023-2027 Colorado Poet Laureate finalists. They can read from their work, lecture, lead workshops, or join book club discussions. Please visit https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/ccftb-author-talks/ for a complete list of authors.

Our mission at the Colorado Center for the Book is to encourage a love of reading and books among people of all ages through diverse cultural activities. For more information, contact Valerie Eddy, Colorado Center for the Book Programs Coordinator at 303.894.7951 x15 or valerie@coloradohumanities.org.

Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book assigns volunteer selectors and judges to create panels of diverse readers (e.g., scholars, librarians, booksellers, teachers, and writers) from across the state. Participating as a selector or judge provides you with an opportunity to see firsthand what members of Colorado’s literary community are creating. For the best chance to be considered, please submit your application by December 1, 2024.

The Colorado Book Awards judging process has two parts:

Selection of finalists typically occurs from late January to late March. Selectors read all books submitted in their assigned category and work on a three-member committee to choose three finalist books. The number of books assigned to a selector varies based on the number of entries submitted in each category.  If selectors cannot come to agreement, final overall scores will be used to determine finalists. Selectors may be asked to read up to 25 books.

Judging of finalists typically takes place from mid-April to early June. Judges read 3-4 finalist books in their assigned category and work on a three-member committee to choose a Colorado Book Award winner. If judges cannot come to agreement, final overall scores will be used to determine a winner.

Selectors and judges do not receive compensation for serving but will receive a complimentary ticket to the Colorado Book Awards ceremony for the year they select or judge, and may keep the books they review.

We will be prioritizing new selectors and judges who are qualified to serve. We hope this will allow more people the opportunity to experience the adjudication process. In addition, an individual may serve as both a selector and judge in any given awards year, provided she/he/they adjudicate(s) different categories. Volunteers will also be asked to sign a Code of Conduct policy if they are selected.

The Colorado Center for the Book Programs Coordinator will guide selectors and judges through the adjudication process and lead committee discussions. Selectors and judges are asked to come prepared to both contribute and listen in a civil discussion, demonstrating respect for fellow selectors, judges, authors, and publishers. 

The information about books entered, the adjudication process, and all discussions about entries are considered strictly confidential.

Selectors and Judges will receive hard copies of all entries, but if an emergency arises, Colorado Humanities will provide access to a PDF version of the book. To review such digital books, aside from having a verified email address, you will need internet access and a computer, iPad, Nook, Kindle, or other e-reader that handles a PDF file format.

If you have any questions, please contact Valerie Eddy, Colorado Center for the Book Programs Coordinator, at valerie@coloradohumanities.org.

Thank you for entering the Colorado Book Awards! The 34th annual Colorado Book Awards season begins September 9, 2024 for books published for the first time between November 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024. The submission deadline is January 3, 2025.

We are particularly interested in receiving and reviewing works created by authors of communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded.

Book Eligibility Guidelines: 

• A primary contributor to the book must currently reside in Colorado and have a Colorado address.
• Submitted works MUST be human authored. We do not accept works that are generated fully or partially by A.I./LLM engines or services (i.e., ChatGPT, Jasper, Sudowrite), including those translated into English by AI-driven tools. Submitted works found in violation of this policy will be withdrawn without refund.
• Reprinted editions or books previously published in another form do not qualify unless at least 50% of the book’s content is new (further documentation will be required).
• Independently published work is welcome. All submitted books must have a printed ISBN, and we strongly recommend that books be professionally edited.
• The entry fee is $60.00.

For all submission guidelines and requirements, please visit:

https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/colorado-book-awards/

Submission instructions:

        1. Complete the online submission form.  

        2. At the end of the form, where it says "Add files," please attach:       

            a.  a 300 dpi jpeg (.jpg) of your book's front cover       

            b.  a 300 dpi jpeg author/contributor headshot          

        3. Click the "submit" button to upload your files.    

        4. Enter your payment information.    

        5. Mail FOUR (4) copies of your book to:

Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book

7935 E. Prentice Avenue, Suite 450 Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111

Books must be received by January 3, 2025. 

We highly recommend packaging your books in a secure padded envelope or in a box to prevent mail theft.
 

Important: if your book is nominated as a finalist, Colorado Humanities staff will contact you requesting three (3) additional copies of your book for the second round of judging.

Final Notes:

• All books become property of Colorado Humanities and will not be returned. 
• Colorado Humanities cannot be responsible for returning any submissions deemed ineligible; nor can it return extra copies of any submission.

Questions? Please contact Valerie Eddy, Colorado Center for the Book Programs Coordinator, at valerie@coloradohumanities.org