 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Frequently Asked Questions About the Golden Sower Award Program Q: Each GSA category has10 titles but sometimes only 9 titles are eligible. What Q.: Is it acceptable for a reader to vote in different category than his or her grade level? Q.: Could the Golden Sower Award manual be posted electronically so individuals could access materials and print using one's own computer? |
Q: What do I do about the books that are too difficult or too simple for the students in my classroom or program? A: The Golden Sower Award committee has frequently discussed the ‘grade’ or ‘reading’ levels of the books and how to address those concerns expressed by teachers and librarians. One important thing to remember is that a child need read only four from any category to be eligible to vote. The books in every section represent a range of reading levels, interests and topics in order to have broad reader appeal. Books may be read ‘to’ or ‘with’ children in order to extend their experiences and ability to understand and enjoy the literature. The Primary books are mostly picture books, while the Intermediate and Young Adult are generally more demanding reading material. Although the books in any section tend to be more appropriate for students at those age or grade levels, each child has unique needs and abilities. It is also good to keep in mind that even picture books may have messages and themes appropriate for adults. Most quality literature may be enjoyed on a number of levels of appreciation and understanding. Our purpose with the Golden Sower Award is to promote quality literature to “enrich lives and sow seeds for a finer future life” to a wide spectrum of readers rather than to provide grade appropriate reading material to meet the needs of the school curriculum. It is true however, that often the books chosen for the award achieve both of those objectives. The most important criteria is that each child find books to read, enjoy and appreciate and that each child feel welcome to participate in the Golden Sower Award program and to cultivate an interest in lifelong learning and reading. |
| Q: Each GSA category has10 titles but sometimes only 9 titles are eligible. What does this mean? A: A category will always have 10 nominated titles. However depending on the outcome of the previous year's voting, a title may become ineligible. Our criteria states, "The winning Golden Sower Award author and/or illustrator of any one year will be excluded from competition the following year." In addition, "Newbery or Caldecott Award winners are not eligible for nomination; however, Honor Books may be nominated." An ineligible title only means that no votes can be cast for the title. The title is still HONORED as a Golden Sower Award Nominee and DOES COUNT as one of the four titles readers can select in order to be eligible to vote in a category, but the title is not included in the voting process because it is not eligible to win. |
Q.: Why do ineligible titles remain on the nominee list? A.:The nomination of Golden Sower Award Nominee titles is a complex and time-sensitive process. Simply removing a title from a list is not an option. A title becomes a nominee approximately 12 months before readers begin reading! During the process a team of volunteer readers determine the nominee list, publishers and authors and/or illustrators are notified of the honor, libraries are provided with ordering information, and lastly, readers spend 8-10 months reading before casting their votes. When nominees are selected, the volunteer readers have no idea which titles may receive awards in the up-coming months. If an author and/or illustrator is on a Golden Sower Award nominee list for consecutive years or even in different category for a consecutive year, the author and/or illustrator may become ineligible if they win a Golden Sower Award, Newbery Award, or Caldecott Award. To remove a nominated title would be nearly impossible. The Golden Sower Award Committee cannot rescind the honor of being nominated after the nominees have become public. In the history of the Golden Sower Award program, there are only a few instances where titles have become ineligible. The Golden Sower Committee asks for everyone's understanding regarding this matter. |
Q.: Is it acceptable for a reader to vote in a different category than his or her grade level? Readers will generally want to vote in their grade level category since titles are carefully selected to match the category. However, there may be instances (i.e., high ability, low ability, mature reader, interest level, etc.) where readers decide to vote in a category other than their grade level. Two voting rules apply to this question so as long as both of the following conditions are met a reader may vote outside his or her grade level: Each reader may vote for only one (1) book. Each reader may vote from only one (1) list in which they have read or heard a minimum of four of the current nominees on that list. |
Q.:May I use the Golden Sower Award logo for my own publications? A.: Not without written permission of the Golden Sower Award Committee. The Golden Sower Award Committee has adopted several logos for use on the stickers, manuals and other merchandise that have become part of the Award. The sale of these items is crucial to the funding of the program, and the committee is willing to add inventory to meet the needs of those implementing it across the state. The logos are the property of the Golden Sower Award Committee and the Nebraska Library Association. Requests to use any of these logos must be submitted to the committee in writing and must comply with criteria listed below. The request must indicate a specific use and the period of time or number of imprints of the logo and the purpose of the request. Use of the Golden Sower Award triangle or nominee circle on web sites or in printed materials is permissible with the following stipulations: Use of the Peter H. Reynolds Golden Sower logo is exclusive to the Golden Sower Award Committee. |
Q: Where can I obtain the Golden Sower Award images? |
Q: Since the jacket art of each nominee appears on the Golden Sower Award website, may I download, print, and/or use it for promotional activities in my local Golden Sower Award program? NO. When the Golden Sower Award Committee contacts publishers for permission to post jacket art on the GSA website, the request speficially "seeks permission from the Permissions Department to use the cover art for our website <http://www.goldensower.org>". The Golden Sower Award Committee does not request or receive permission to use jacket art for any other purpose. This explains why jacket art is not used anywhere else in our program, including the printed manual. Back to Top |
Q.: Even though the Golden Sower Award manual is sold in the GSA Store, could it be posted electronically so individuals could access materials and print using one's own computer? The Golden Sower Award committee has considered requests about the manual being on-line but there are several reasons why this probably won't happen in the near future. |
Q.: May publishers submit books for the consideration of the committee members who choose the titles that the children read/hear? The Golden Sower Award committee is always seeking current, quality literature for the young readers of Nebraska. A publisher or author may submit titles for consideration with the understanding that the Golden Sower Award committee and its designated nominee contact(s), are under no monetary obligations to you or your company. Nor is the committee of readers under any obligation to assure your publisher's titles are included on the reader's list or nominee list. If these conditions are acceptable to your company, please feel free to contact the appropriate coordinator as listed at: http://www.goldensower.org/nugget/contact.htm |
Nugget Home | Participation Information | Nominee & Award Lists | Calendar | Contacts | Nominate a Title | Voting Info | FAQ's | GSA Store | GSA Listserv | Golden Sower Award Home
Questions or Comments may be directed to GSA Web at <mehlers@mpsomaha.org>