The Extensive Reading Foundation Language Learner Literature Award

The Extensive Reading Foundation Language Learner Literature Award

The Extensive Reading Foundation (ERF) is a new, unaffiliated, not-for
profit group to support and promote extensive reading in language education.
As its first initiative, the ERF has established an award for language
learner literature (graded readers) in English.

There are four categories of the Award for individual books:
Adolescents & Adults (3 categories)
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Younger Learners (1 category).

The Award is annual, for books published in the previous year. However, in
2004, the inaugural year, the Award is for any books in print and
copyrighted up to and including 2003.

Publishers are invited to nominate up to three books in each category. The
nominated books will be read by an international jury of teachers and
extensive reading professionals who will come up with a shortlist of three
books in each category. These books are the Finalists. Language learners
and their teachers are then invited to vote online for their favorite books
among these Finalists. The jury will determine the winners taking into
account the views of their students, and the voting from all parts of the
world.

By regularly recognizing books of outstanding quality and appeal, the Award
aims to support the development of language learner literature in English,
and to encourage extensive reading in language programs. Publishers will
display the Award information on the covers of their finalist and winning
books. This will be seal of quality for teachers and students looking for
good books to read.

In this inaugural year, publishers nominate books by June 30th, 2004. The
Finalists are announced on July 31st, 2004. Online voting commences on
September 1st and closes on September 30th. The winners of the first Awards
will be announced toward the end of the year.

The ERF plans two further awards, for innovation and for outstanding
achievement. The names and details of these will be announced shortly.

For information on the ERF and on how to vote for the Finalists, see the ERF
homepage <www.erfoundation.org>. Publishers who want details on how to
nominate books may write to <bamford@shonan.bunkyo.ac.jp>