The third annual Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year Award, organized by the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable, is now open for submissions.

The criteria for the award is as follows:

• The book must exhibit a seamless integration of the verbal and visual modes. In the case of a wordless book, it must be a seamless integration of the unwritten narrative that can be inferred from the well-sequenced series of images.
• The book must be written in English by a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and must be published by a Canadian publisher during 2021.
• Revisions and reprints of previously published works are not eligible for the award.
• In the case of self-published books, proof of professional editing must be submitted along with a confirmation that there is a current print run of at least 350 copies.
• A three-person jury will select the winning book and four honour books.
• The cash prize will go to the author/illustrator. In the case of a separate author and illustrator, the prize will be split 50/50.

Entrants are asked to complete the submission form and to mail three copies of each book and a fee of $30, in the form of a cheque payable to the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable, to the following address:

Sheila Barry Picturebook Award
Attn: Award Chair, Kathryn Shoemaker
311 – 3787 West 4th Avenue,
Vancouver, BC, V6R 1P4

The shortlisted titles will be announced on Canada Day, and the winning title along with the four honour books will be announced on Labour Day.

In addition to the $2,500 cash award, the winner will be the featured speaker at the Annual VCLR Sheila Barry Best Picturebook of the Year Award Breakfast, set to take place in fall 2022.

The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2022.