Freeman Book Awards

Submission Guidelines 2024

Eligibility

For the 2024 prizes, the committee will consider books that fit the criteria below and have been published during the same year (January 1 – December 31, 2024). Books must be published in English; bilingual books will also be considered.

Related Book Awards

Publishers and authors whose books do not meet the Freeman Award criteria are urged to consider submission to these related awards: South Asia Book Award and Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.

Submission Deadline

Please send a copy of the books to reviewers as soon as possible; however, the deadline for all submissions  is November 30, 2024. It is the responsibility of the publisher to submit one copy of the title to each member of the relevant grade-level committee.

Categories and Types of Awards

  • Children’s Literature (picture books for up to grade 5)
  • Young Adult Literature – Middle School and High School (Text and Graphic Novels) for grades 6-12

Genres: Fiction, folklore, graphic novels, poetry, selected non-fiction (no textbooks).

Subjects: Books, published in English, which have the culture and people of East or Southeast Asia as the primary focus of the story and contribute meaningfully to understanding of any of the following: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Criteria

The books should accurately and skillfully portray the experience of individuals living in East Asia and/or Southeast Asia. 

In determining the award, books will be judged for:

  • Quality of story, its plot and characterization;
  • Cultural authenticity;
  • Potential for classroom use;
  • Appeal to intended audience.

Bilingual books and translations will be considered:

  • Bilingual books that include English are eligible
  • Translations are eligible in the year first published in English, in the United States

Announcement of Awards

Winners of the 2024 Freeman Book Awards will be publicized through the media of relevant professional organizations such as Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), American Association of School Librarians (AASL), National Council of Social Studies (NCSS), and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).  

Information about the winning titles will be maintained on the permanent website for the Awards

Award Seals

Award seals can be ordered from the printer. Please see directions for ordering the seal HERE.

Nomination Process

There is no entry fee for nomination. To nominate a title:

Authors:

Publishers:

  • Please complete the submission form and return to Nancy Hope.
  • Please mail one review copy to each member of the relevant review committee by November 30, 2024 for titles published in 2024. Contact Nancy Hope for names and addresses of committee members.

Teachers and librarians: please complete the submission form with as much information as you can provide and return it to Nancy Hope by email.

Authors publishers, teachers and librarians are all encouraged to nominate a title for review.

Questions

For questions on the awards, please contact Nancy Hope by email only.