- Whitney Awards
The Whitney Award is an award given annually for novels by
LDS authors. The Whitney Awards are a semi-independentnon-profit organization affiliated with the LDStorymakers, a guild for LDS authors. [Whitney Awards website. [http://www.whitneyawards.com/about.html] ]Cash prizes are given with the awards, varying between $500 and $1,000. [Whitney Awards press release, 10-23-07, [http://www.whitneyawards.com/pr2.html] ]
Award Categories
There are five genre categories:
*Romance /Women's fiction
*Mystery / Suspense
*Speculative Fiction
*Young adult literature /Children's Literature
*Historical Fiction There are also two overall awards:
*Best Novel by a New Author
*Novel of the YearDue to the limited number of titles released by LDS authors, several of the genre awards are combined (such as romance and women's fiction). [Whitney Awards Q&A, Six LDS Writers and a Frog, [http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/06/whitney-awards-q.html] ]
While the Whitney Committee has said that they hope to expand the number of genres in the future, they likely won't venture into other areas of LDS art, such as music, poetry, or non-fiction books.
To be eligible, a novel must be written by an LDS author during the award year, and be at least 50,000 words long.
Whitney Award Process
Any reader can nominate a book. Once a book has received five or more nominations, it becomes an official nominee.
The official nominees are presented to the Whitney Awards Committee. The Committee checks for eligibility, and acts as a preliminary judging panel; reducing the number of nominees to no more than five per category.
Finally, ballots are sent to the Whitney Awards Academy, an invitation-only group consisting of authors, bookstore owners/managers, distributors, critics, and other industry professionals. Through popular vote, they decide on final winners. [Whitney Awards official rules [http://www.whitneyawards.com/rules.html] ]
Origin of the Name
The awards are named after
Orson F. Whitney , a member of theQuorum of the Twelve Apostles inThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as a poet and writer. In 1888, Elder Whitney delivered a speech entitled "Home Literature" in which he stated:We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. God's ammunition is not exhausted. His brightest spirits are held in reserve for the latter times. In God's name and by his help we will build up a literature whose top shall touch heaven, though its foundations may now be low in earth. ["Home Literature", Bishop Orson F. Whitney, The Contributor 1888, http://mldb.byu.edu/homelit.htm]
The phrase "We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own" has been adopted as the slogan of the Whitney Awards, and is printed on the trophy.
Winners and Finalists
2007 (Presented March 22, 2008)
Best Novel of the Year
* "On the Road to Heaven ", byCoke Newell --Zarahemla Books
**"Dragon Slippers ", byJessica Day George -- Bloomsbury
**"", byH.B. Moore --Covenant Communications
**"The Operative", byWillard Boyd Gardner --Covenant Communications
**"Upon the Mountains ", byGale Sears --Covenant Communications Best Novel by a New Author
* "Dragon Slippers ", byJessica Day George -- Bloomsbury
**"Wet Desert ", by Gary Hansen --Holeshot Press
**"Counting Stars ", byMichele Paige Holmes --Covenant Communications
**"Beyond the Horizon", byJudy C. Olsen --Covenant Communications
**"On the Road to Heaven ", byCoke Newell --Zarahemla Books Best Romance/Women's Fiction
* "Counting Stars ", byMichele Paige Holmes --Covenant Communications
**"Desire of our Hearts ", bySariah S. Wilson --Covenant Communications
**"Eclipse ", byStephenie Meyer -- Little, Brown
**"The Independence Club ", byRachel Ann Nunes --Deseret Book
**"Loyalty's Web ", byJoyce DiPastena --iUniverse Best Mystery/Suspense
* "Sheep's Clothing ", byJosi Kilpack --Deseret Book
**"The Deep End", byTraci Hunter Abramson --Covenant Communications
**"Grave Secrets ", byMarlene Austin --Covenant Communications
**"The Operative", byWillard Boyd Gardner --Covenant Communications
**"Hazardous Duty ", byBetsy Brannon Green --Covenant Communications Best YA/Children's
* ', byBrandon Mull --Shadow Mountain "'
**"Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians ", byBrandon Sanderson -- Scholastic
**"Bullies in the Headlights ", by Matthew Buckley --Covenant Communications
**"How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend ", byJanette Rallison --Putnam
**"First Day", byAllyson Condie --Deseret Book Best Speculative
* "Book of a Thousand Days ", byShannon Hale -- Bloomsbury
**"Dragon Slippers ", byJessica Day George -- Bloomsbury
**"Hunting Gideon ", byJessica Draper --Zarahemla Books
**"The Lights of Mahonri Moriancumer ", byPhyllis Gunderson --Cedar Fort, Inc.
**"", byBrandon Sanderson --Tor Best Historical
* ', byH.B. Moore --Covenant Communications "'
**"Beyond the Horizon", byJudy C. Olsen --Covenant Communications
**"On the Road to Heaven ", byCoke Newell --Zarahemla Books
**"Spires of Stone ", byAnnette Lyon --Covenant Communications
**"Upon the Mountains ", byGale Sears --Covenant Communications Lifetime Achievement
*Jennie Hansen
*Dean Hughes
*Anita Stansfield Whitney Awards Committee
The Whitney Awards Committee acts as both the organizers and the preliminary judges of the Whitney Awards. Rules stipulate that the committee be made up of at least four members of LDStorymakers. Their positions are temporary, by invitation of the Whitney Awards Committee president (who is appointed by the LDStorymakers executive committee).
The current committee includes:
*Robison Wells , President
*Stephanie Black
*Kerry Blair
*James Dashner
*Crystal Leichty
*BJ Rowley
*Julie Wright ee also
*
LDS fiction References and footnotes
External links
* [http://www.whitneyawards.com Whitney Awards]
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