Award Applications

The Children's Literature Association (ChLA) is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting serious scholarship and high standards of criticism in children's literature. To encourage these goals, the Association offers various awards and fellowships annually.

ChLA Research Fellowships and Scholarships have a combined maximum fund of $1,000 per year, and individual awards may range from $250 to $1,000, based on the number and needs of the winning applicants. The fellowships are awarded for proposals dealing with criticism or original scholarship with the expectation that the undertaking will lead to publication and make a significant contribution to the field of children's literature in the area of scholarship or criticism. In honor of the achievement and dedication of Dr. Margaret P. Esmonde, proposals that deal with critical or original work in the areas of fantasy or science fiction for children or adolescents will be awarded the Margaret P. Esmonde Memorial Scholarship. Applications will be evaluated based upon the quality of the proposal and the potential of the project to enhance or advance children's literature studies. Funds may be used for—but are not restricted to—research-related expenses, such as travel to special collections or purchasing materials and supplies. The awards may not be used for obtaining advanced degrees, for researching or writing a thesis or dissertation, for textbook writing, or for pedagogical projects. Winners must either be members of the Children's Literature Association or join the association before they receive any funds. Winners should acknowledge ChLA in any publication resulting from the award.

The ChLA Beiter Scholarships were established to honor the memory of Dr. Hannah Beiter, a longtime supporter of student participation in the ChLA. The Beiter Scholarships have a combined maximum fund of $1,000 per year, and individual awards may range from $250 to $1,000, based on the number and the needs of the winning applicants. The scholarships are awarded for proposals of original scholarship with the expectation that the undertaking will lead to publication or a conference presentation and contribute to the field of children's literature criticism. Beiter Scholarship funds are not intended as income to assist in the completion of a graduate degree, but as support for research that may be related to the dissertation or master's thesis. The grant may be used to purchase supplies and materials (e.g., books, videos, equipment), as research support (photocopying, etc.), or to underwrite travel to special collections or libraries. Winners must either be members of the Children's Literature Association or join the association before they receive any funds. Winners should acknowledge ChLA in any publication resulting from the award.

The annual deadline for applying for either the Research Fellowship or the Beiter Scholarship is February 1. For further information and application guidelines, contact the Scholarship Chair (see address below).

In addition to fellowships and scholarships, ChLA recognizes outstanding works in children's literature annually through the following awards. The ChLA Article Award is presented for an article deemed the most noteworthy literary criticism article published in English on the topic of children's literature within a given year. The ChLA Book Award is presented for the most outstanding book of criticism, history, or scholarship in the field of children's literature in a given year.

The Phoenix Award is given to the author, or estate of the author, of a book for children published twenty years earlier that did not win a major award at the time of publication but that, from the perspective of time, is deemed worthy of special recognition for its high literary quality.

The Carol Gay Award is presented for the best undergraduate paper written about some aspect of children's literature. The annual deadline for applications is January 20.

For further information, or to send nominations for any of the awards, contact the Children's Literature Association, P. O. Box 138, Battle Creek, MI 49016-0138, phone 616 965-8180; fax 616 965-3568; or by e-mail chla@mlc.lib.mi.us. This information is also at our Web site, address www.childlitassn.org.