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In 1990, the Nova Scotia Library Association established the Ann Connor Brimer Award to recognize writers residing in Atlantic Canada who have made an outstanding contribution to children’s literature. A fierce champion of a Canadian identity made strong through the vitality of its regions and a staunch friend of Canadian children's literature, Ann Connor Brimer began her teaching career at a time when books written in Canada by Canadians for Canadians were scarce, especially among books for young readers. Ann worked to make it happen, serving as Executive Director of the Canadian Learning Materials Centre and the Atlantic Institute of Education, as Atlantic officer of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and, in 1979, co-founding Woozles, the first bookstore in the Atlantic region devoted entirely to children’s books. The first award of $500 was presented in 1991 to Joyce Barkhouse for Pit Pony. Last year, Budge Wilson (who previously won for Oliver's Wars) received the award for Friendships. Previous winners include Kevin Major, Alice Walsh, Don Aker, Lesley Choyce and Sheree Fitch. The Brimer Steering Committee thanks Anne's family and friends for their continued support, the Nova Scotia and PEI Departments of Culture, as well as the library, writing, publishing, bookselling and education communities. Thanks to all this, Ann's original bequest of $1,000 has grown more than twenty times. This year the winner will receive $2,000 and monies raised in Ann's name now contribute to the promotion of the shortlisted titles throughout the region and to this awards ceremony. Click HERE for submission guidelines. |
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Ann
Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature