The Heavy Medal Award Committee: We need volunteers!
We’ve been reading, discussing, suggesting, and nominating possible Newbery contenders for almost a year. And we’re almost ready to have our final discussions which will lead to the selection of our Heavy Medal Mock Newbery winner. Which means it’s time to form the 2025 Heavy Medal Award Committee (HMAC). This is a group of volunteers who are ready to dive into some serious reading and critiquing of Newbery-eligible titles.
What are the responsibilities of the HMAC?
- Read all 15 or so titles on the Heavy Medal Book List (HMBL). Six titles are on the list already; the full list of titles on the HBML will be announced on December 13th.
- Write an introduction blog post of at least one of the titles on the HBML
- Actively participate in online discussions of these books between December 30th and January 16th.
- Help select five books as Heavy Medal Finalists in late January.
- Participate in a live webcast discussion of the five Finalists on Friday, January 24th, at 1:00 pm EST, finishing with a ballot to select the Heavy Medal Award winner. Webcast participation is not required of all HMAC members, but we hope all or most will take part)
How are the members of the HMAC selected?
- If you’re interested, fill out the HMAC 2025 Volunteer Form between now and December 12th at 6:00 pm EST.
- Emily and Steven will review the application forms and decide upon the final roster. We hope to create a well-rounded and diverse committee.
- We aim for 15 people, to match the real Newbery Committee number, but may go with a different number.
- We will announce the final HMAC roster here on Heavy Medal around December 20th.
If I’m on the HMAC, can I just read some of the books and post about those?
- No. Just like on the real Newbery Committee, we expect participants to read all 15 books and be prepared to discuss them online.
- If there’s a reason which will prevent you from reading one or two titles, though, such as access, please volunteer anyway and we’ll talk.
Do I have to post comments on the online discussions at certain times of the day?
- No. You can fit posts around your schedule. But you will need to find ways to discuss as many books as you can.
- The only truly “live” element is the Zoom discussion.
Can I volunteer for the HMAC if I’ve already done it in past years?
- Yes. Returnees are welcome and so are first-timers. We will keep your number of times on the committee in mind as we select members.
If I’m not on the HMAC, can I still participate in the book discussions?
- Yes. In the real Newbery Committee, the 15 members only discuss the books with each other, but in our Heavy Medal Mock Newbery we love to hear from as many voices as possible.
- HMAC members will introduce each book discussion and participate heavily but others may chime in throughout.
More questions? You can ask them in the comments below or email Steven and Emily directly. If you’re ready to volunteer, don’t forget to submit your HMAC 2025 Volunteer Form by December 12th at 6:00 pm EST.
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Filed under: Heavy Medal Mock, Process
About Steven Engelfried
Steven Engelfried retired from full-time library work a couple years ago and now works as a part-time Youth Librarian at the West Linn Public Library in Oregon. He served on the 2010 Newbery committee, chaired the 2013 Newbery Committee, and also served on the 2002 Caldecott committee. You can reach him at sengelfried@yahoo.com.
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So sad I’m missing this year’s webcast. I’ll be at a speed puzzling event out of state. 🙁
Will definitely be watching the recorded version, and I’m always excited to participate in the asynchronous discussions.
I was on it last year (and would try to get on it again except I’m starting the real Newbery Committee in January), and I would definitely recommend it if you can make the commitment. It’s so much fun to evaluate the books critically and listen to everyone talk about how the books fit the criteria. It was fun to write an introduction post and fun to get to know the other members of the committee. Who knows; maybe one day it’ll help you make the real committee, too!
Oh that is SO awesome Kelly!
Thanks Gabrielle! I’m really excited!
You will be GREAT! Congratulations (and get a big bookshelf.) 🙂
Thanks Quade! Definitely getting a big bookshelf (or two!)
I love that the entry prompt is “Speak Your Mind.”
Thank you to all of the librarians and to SLJ for creating a transparent discussion about books that are written to promote critical thinking in children. Steven and Emily are a pretty magical pairing in that they bring their authentic and experienced viewpoints to servant leadership on this blog.
Since my son was in 3rd grade and became compassionately curious about the Newbery, we play a game. We put our predictions for ALA and National Book awards in a sealed envelope before the end of the calendar year. After a few years of cosmically aligned choices, the pressure is on and this year is the first in 8 years, where my final ALA selections have not been made. That middle-grade fiction group is tight in 2024.
Good luck to this committee. Have fun!
I’ve been on HMAC the last two years and loved it! I think I’m going to bow out this year – I’m judging a picture book award in my state – but I’ll definitely be following along and hope to rejoin next year!
Reminder: The deadline for volunteering for the HMAC is this Thursday, December 12th. At this point, we still have spots open, so if you were on the fence, fill out your HMAC 2025 Volunteer Form in the next couple days.