The Norma Fleck Award was established in 1999 as an annual book award to recognize and raise the profile of exceptional Canadian non-fiction books.

…The largest of its kind for Canadian children's books, the Norma Fleck Award sends the right message about the importance of introducing children to non-fiction books that encourage authentic, real-world learning and a sense of discovery.

• Established and funded by the Fleck Family Foundation, the award is administered by CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre).
• Eligible works must be written and illustrated by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants in the following categories:  Culture and the Arts, Science, Biography, History, Geography, Reference, Sports, Activities and Pastimes.
• A jury panel, selected by CCBC and comprised of a minimum of 3 members (including a teacher, a librarian, a bookseller and/or a reviewer), decides on a shortlist of 5 books for each category, from which the winners are chosen.
• The Cash Prize of $10,000 for each winner is presented in November, during the Canadian Children's Book Week.
• The award goes to the author unless 40% or more of the text area is composed of original illustrations, in which case the award is divided equally between author and illustrator.      
• In addition to the cash prize, $5,000  is allocated in marketing funds to promote the finalists, and this amount is matched by the publishers, with the objective of promoting all the finalists before and after the announcement of the winners, so that readers, bookstores, schools, and libraries are made aware of the excellence of all the books.
• Past winning entries include: Red Land, Yellow River by Ange Zhang, and As Long as the Rivers Flow by Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden.

Charlotte Teeple, Executive Director
The Canadian Children's Book Centre
40 Orchard View Blvd.
Suite 101 Toronto, ON  
M4R 1B9

Phone: (416) 975-0010

Fax: (416) 975-8970

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