"AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2009" Worldwide Call for Entries

Alcuin members will know the important role awards can play in fostering design excellence. Each year we put the call for entries out to Canadian publishers, authors, illustrators, and designers to submit their best work for our own "Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada."

Now for the first time ever, the AIGA - well known professional association for design in America - has not only opened up their book design competition to Canadians, but to the entire world.

From their website:

Following AIGA’s membership in Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and in keeping with a deepening commitment to demonstrating the importance of diversity, entries from all countries will be eligible for AIGA competitions for the first time in AIGA’s history. In order for the jury to understand the content and context, entries that are in languages other than English must include a brief English translation.

Fees are modest at $35 USD per title entry for AIGA members, $55 USD per entry for non-members. Fees drop $5 with 5 titles or more.

More from their website:

Enter “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2009” to take your place in design history! This time-honored competition aims to identify the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the past year, as chosen by a distinguished jury.

Categories:

    * Literature and nonfiction
    * Image-driven books
    * Limited-edition and fine-press books
    * Instructional books and textbooks
    * Reference book
    * Children’s books

Books may be read, consulted and treasured for years, but this competition is the best way to ensure that your creative legacy will endure. All selections become part of the online AIGA Design Archives, a traveling exhibition that debuts at the AIGA National Design Center in New York and the physical collections of the Denver Art Museum and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University. If your work is selected, countless future designers and potential clients will have access to your work. This is your golden opportunity—enter by March 5, 2010.

Eligibility

    * A book must consist of at least 48 pages (except for children’s books).
    * A book must be either case-bound or paperbound between covers. Portfolios of loose pages do not qualify.
    * Books and book covers designed and/or produced between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year are eligible.
    * Except in the case of limited-edition books, print runs should be in excess of 250 copies.
    * Entries should be for sale to the general public, or, if offered gratis, should not be publications whose primary purpose is to advertise or serve as an annual report or other corporate literature.
    * Following AIGA’s membership in Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and in keeping with a deepening commitment to demonstrating the importance of diversity, entries from all countries will be eligible for AIGA competitions for the first time in AIGA’s history. In order for the jury to understand the content and context, entries that are in languages other than English must include a brief English translation.
    * Submit only actual work; no photographs accepted. We regret that entries cannot be returned.

Even if you are not an AIGA member, you can signup for a free online account to enter the competition.  Register at here where you can read the complete details on categories, fees, submission requirements, notification, and more. Once again, take note the due date is March 5, 2010.