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February 20, 2006
For immediate release

Book Award Details Announced

Community and Cultural Affairs

In an announcement which will be of interest to writers and publishers on Prince Edward Island and throughout the Atlantic region, P.E.I.’s Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, Elmer MacFadyen, made public details of the new Prince Edward Island Book Award.

Minister MacFadyen noted that dozens of books are published in the province each year and other books by Islanders are published throughout the region. “Islanders are proud of their work and we have seen excellent books of photography, community history, cookbooks, children’s books and fiction writing. This award will honour the quality of work being done.”

The P.E.I. Book Award will be presented every two years and will recognize the book which best shows excellence in production of a book by a P.E.I. author, editor or creator; the first award will be for books published during 2004 and 2005. Books must be published to a professional standard in Atlantic Canada in order to be eligible. They can be fiction or non-fiction and in either English or French. The award is based on factors such as design, illustration and publication quality as well as the quality of writing. The award will include a cash prize presented to both the author and the publisher.

In making the announcement, Mr. MacFadyen paid tribute to the late Joe Sherman who had been an advocate for a book award recognizing the best the province has to offer. “I am pleased that we have been able to follow up on the idea which was developed by Mr. Sherman,” said Minister MacFadyen. “Joe Sherman made a great contribution to writing and the arts in general, and I am sure he would have had a keen interest in the competition for this award.”

A jury will review the books submitted and will present a short list as well as an overall winner. The deadline for this year’s competition is 31 March 2006, with the award to be presented in May. Full details, criteria and submission forms are available from the Culture and Heritage section of the Department of Community and Culture Affairs and will be posted on the Department’s website at www.gov.pe.ca/cca.

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Media Contact: Harry Holman
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