We here at the Cybils want to recognize excellence and kid-friendly-ness in as many books as possible. This is why, over the years, our categories have expanded to include a huge variety of ages and genres. We feel it is important to highlight the excellence that is going on in all areas of the publishing industry.
That said, 2020 is a weird year. We recognize that, while it seems books are still being published, there may be issues with our panelists and judges having access to books. There also may be issues with time — many of our panelists and judges are educators and parents, and with the uncertainty of what school will look like for our teachers, librarians, and parents we want to be mindful of the time commitment that the Cybils requires.
The Board has discussed these concerns and has decided for this year only to make the following changes for the 2020 Cybils season:
- Board books category will be suspended
- Elementary/Middle Grade and Junior/Senior High Non-fiction will be collapsed into one category – Non-fiction — that will award three books: Elementary (K-5), Middle Grade (6-8) and High School (9-12).
- Poetry will be suspended. In order to not ignore poetry books, the novels in verse will be considered in their respective categories (Middle Grade and Young Adult) and collections will be considered with fiction picture books.
- Young Adult Fiction and Young Adult Speculative Fiction will be judged by the same panelists and judges who will award two books, one for fiction and one for speculative fiction.
Again: we anticipate these changes will be temporary! We are hoping (as are the rest of the country) that 2021 will be back to a “new normal” and we can proceed as usual. Any questions or concerns about the changes can be directed to Stephanie Charlefour, the CYBILS Board president, at scharlefour@gmail.com.
As always, thank you for your continued participation and support!
The CYBILS Board