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January 2009
2009 Award Honorees
Announced
March 1, 2009
Awards Open Call
May 1, 2009
Early Bird Deadline
Watch For Our Award-Winning
Products At These Fine
Conferences:
Jan 23-28
American Library Assn
Denver, CO
Feb 15-18
American Int’l Toy Fair
New York City
Mar 12-15
Assn of College and Research Libraries
Seattle, WA
Mar 14-16
Michigan Reading Assn
Grand Rapids, MI
Mar 23-26
Bologna Book Fair
Bologna, Italy
Mar 29-Apr 1
New York State Reading Assn
Saratoga Springs, NY
Apr 1-4
Texas Library Assn
Houston, TX
Apr 20-22
London Book Fair
London, UK
Distinguish yourself and your work and join this prestigious awards competition.
Download a PDF of the Mom’s Choice Awards® Entry Form. Download a PDF of the Mom’s Choice Awards® Guidelines.
Download a PDF of the Mom’s Choice Award® Category Guide for Books.
Download a PDF of the Mom’s Choice Awards® Content Classification Standards
Listed below are the guidelines and general criteria for the Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA).
Eligible Products
The MCA accepts products designed for infants through adult in the following categories:
- Books / eBooks / Audio Books / Interactive Online Books (IOB)
- Music
- Home Video/DVD
- Educational Video Games / Electronic Learning
- Educational Software
- Educational Products
- Magazines
- Online Resources (Websites, eMagazines & Blogs)
.
All products manufactured since 2006 are eligible. Beta prototypes are not eligible for submission.
MCA judges are especially interested in products that help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually; are morally sound and promote good will; are inspirational and uplifting. Still, we realize there are many important works that deal with disturbing themes or contain what some may see as “objectionable” content. We believe content should be evaluated using educational criteria, and that content must be viewed in the context of the work as a whole. Please review the MCA Content Classification Standards to learn more.
Book Submissions
Book manuscripts and galleys are not eligible at this time. All published books with copyright dates of 2006 - 2009 are eligible. Children’s books published prior to 2006 are also eligible as long as they are not “out-of-print” and are available through a major wholesaler/distributor.
Resubmissions
Products are not eligible for resubmission unless a major redesign has occurred.
Entry Fees and Deadlines
Deadline: October 15, 2008
Entry Fee Per Item (Or series of 3 books):
1 Category $300
2 Categories $600
3 Categories $900
Important! Your entry (entry form with payment) must be received on or before October 15, 2008 to be eligible.
Products may be sent separately, but must be received on or before October 15, 2008.
Entry fees may be paid by VISA, MasterCard, Discovery, American Express, PayPal, check or money order.
To pay by PayPal, please send your payment to orders@momschoiceawards.com.
To pay by check or money order, please make your check/money order payable, in U.S. funds only, to Mom’s Choice. Our Federal Tax ID = 26-0843845.
Returned checks and declined credit card transactions will be subject to a $30 fee regardless of the reason.
The MCA offers many unique marketing opportunities for your products. Our Honorees earn a comprehensive package of value-added benefits—one that is unique to an awards program. Click here to learn why the MCA is a great value for your marketing investment.
Complete an entry form for each book/product/online resource you are submitting for consideration.
A book or product may be entered in multiple categories. There is no limit to the number of categories in which a product may be entered. However, an entry fee per category does apply.
Send five (5) samples of your book/product. You are welcome to send marketing collateral or media kits. If you
elect to send these materials, please send (5) sets.
If you are entering the Online Resources category, just send the entry form with the URL indicated on the form.
If desired, you may fax your entry form(s) to 757.410.9409. A note about our fax system: we use 24-hour fax
recognition technology. You may hear a greeting when dialing our fax number. Simply push "start/send" on
your machine, and our system will accept your fax transmission.
Enclose the fully completed entry form(s) with payment in your shipment. Please do not tape your entry form to the outside of the box. Be sure to keep a copy of the entry form for your records.
If you are paying by check or money order, please send one check or money order for all entry fees made payable in U.S. funds to Mom’s Choice. Our Federal Tax ID = 26-0843845.
We will email you confirmation once your entry has arrived.
Important! To be considered, your entry (entry form, payment and product) must be received on or before October 15, 2008.
Shipping and Contact Information
To ensure timely delivery of your entry, it is recommended that you use a courier with published delivery schedules and one that provides delivery tracking confirmation.
Ship your entry to:
Mom's Choice Awards®
725 Watch Island Reach
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757.410.9409 x712
The MCA will not accept COD or "postage due" packages. If your package is considered to be oversized or overweight by your courier, please contact us in advance for shipping instructions.
Notification Process
Notices confirming receipt of packages, as well announcements will be sent via email to the notification contact(s) listed on the entry form. Be sure to let us know should your email address change.
General
The MCA reserves the right to:
-
Reject any entry
Withhold awards in any category
Reassign a product to a different category
Change criteria without notice
The MCA is not responsible for the loss, damage, or return of any material submitted to the competition.
Results of product evaluations will not be released. Products submitted to the MCA program will not be returned. Submission fees will not be refunded.
Product Categories
New categories are added each year. If you would like to suggest a new category, please contact us and let us know.
The categories for the 2009 awards are listed below. Need help in selecting a book category? Please refer to our handy Category Guide.
Family & Parenting Books
101 Contemporary Families
102 Parenting - General
103 Grandparenting
104 Health, Nutrition, Fitness & Safety
105 Life Challenges
106 Life Transitions
107 Pregnancy & Childbirth
108 Relationships & Marriage
109 Resources
110 Special & Exceptional Needs
Adult Books (No explicit materials please)
201 Activities, Crafts & Hobbies
202 Anthologies, Essays & Collections
203 Body, Mind & Spirit
204 Cooking & Food
205 Fiction – General
206 Home & Garden
207 Humor
208 Inspirational / Motivational
209 Men’s Issues
210 Multimedia Experiences
211 Non-Fiction – General
212 Poetry
213 Religion & Spirituality
214 Self-Improvement
215 Senior’s Issues
216 Women’s Issues
Misc Book Categories
301 Child Author/Illustrator
302 eBooks For Children (Ages 0-9)
303 eBooks For Juvenile & Young Adult (Ages 10-18)
304 eBooks For Adults
305 Audio Books For Children (Ages 0-9)
306 Audio Books For Juvenile & Young Adult (Ages 10-18)
307 Audio Books For Adults
308 IOBs For Children (Ages 0-9)
309 IOBs For Juvenile & Young Adult (Ages 10-18)
310 IOBs For Adults
Young Adult Books (Ages 12 to 18)
401 Activities, Crafts & Hobbies
402 Anthologies, Essays & Collections
403 Body, Mind & Spirit
404 Comic Books & Graphic Novels
405 Cooking & Food
406 Fantasy, Myths & Legends
407 Fiction – General
408 Historical Fiction
409 Humor
410 Inspirational / Motivational
411 Multimedia Experiences
412 Non-Fiction - General
413 Poetry
414 Reference & Study Aids
415 Religion & Spirituality
416 Self-Improvement
417 Series (Three or more chapter books)
Juvenile Books (Level 2 – Ages 9 to 12)
501 Activities, Crafts & Hobbies
502 Anthologies, Essays & Collections
503 Body, Mind & Spirit
504 Comic Books & Graphic Novels
505 Cooking & Food
506 Fantasy, Myths & Legends
507 Fiction – General
508 Historical Fiction
509 Humor
510 Inspirational / Motivational
511 Multimedia Experiences
512 Non-Fiction - General
513 Poetry
514 Reference & Study Aids
515 Religion & Spirituality
516 Self-Improvement
517 Series (Three or more chapter books)
Juvenile Books (Level 1 – Ages 5 to 8)
601 Activities, Crafts & Hobbies
602 Body, Mind & Spirit
603 Comic Books & Graphic Novels
604 Cooking & Food
605 Early Readers
606 Early Reader Series (Three or more books)
607 Fantasy, Myths & Legends
608 Fiction – General
609 Historical Fiction
610 Humor
611 Inspirational / Motivational
612 Multimedia Experiences
613 Non-Fiction - General
614 Poetry
615 Reference & Study Aids
616 Religion & Spirituality
617 Self-Improvement
618 Series (Three or more chapter books)
Children’s Picture Books (Suitable for Ages Birth to 9)
Each category may contain works of fiction and non-fiction.
Need help in selecting a book category? Please refer to our handy Category Guide.
701 Adventure, Adventurers & Heroes
702 Animal Kingdom
703 Basic Concepts
704 Bedtime Stories
705 Bilingual (Must include an English translation)
706 Body, Mind & Spirit
707 Civics & History
708 Cooking & Food
709 Crossing Generations
710 Developing Social Skills
711 Distinctive Illustration
712 Domestic Animals & Pets
713 Family Life
714 Fantasy, Myths & Legends
715 Green Earth
716 Growing Up / Personal Growth
717 Health & Safety
718 Historical Fiction
719 Humor
720 Imagine It!
721 Inspirational / Motivational
722 Looking & Feeling Great
723 Multimedia Experiences
724 Music & Performing Arts
725 Nature & Weather
726 Novelty Books
727 Peoples, Places & Cultures
728 Philanthropic (Books that donate to a charity)
729 Poetry
730 Reference & Study Aids
731 Religion & Spirituality
732 Science & Technology
733 Seasonal, Holidays & Festivals
734 Specialized Concepts / Differently Abeled
735 Series (Three or more illustrated picture books)
736 Sports & Recreation
737 Trains, Plains, Automobiles & More
738 Values & Life Lessons
Music
801 Birth to 2
802 Ages 3 to 6
803 Ages 7 to 10
804 Tweens & Teens
Home Video/DVD’s
901 Birth to 2
902 Ages 3 to 6
903 Ages 7 to 9
904 Tweens & Teens
905 Family Viewing
906 Instructional / Documentary
907 YouTube Amateur Video Production
Educational Video Games & Electronic Learning
1001 Infant to Age 2
1002 Ages 3 & 4
1003 Ages 5 to 7
1004 Ages 8 to 11
1005 Ages 12 to 15
1006 Ages 16 & Up
Submitted titles must have educational value and may not contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, blood, simulated gambling, and/or inappropriate language.
Video Gaming Systems & Handhelds Supported: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP. When submitting a game for one of these systems, you only need to send five (5) sample game cartridges – not the complete system.
Online games are eligible as long as there is no fee required to play, and parents have an ability to use parental controls (e.g, restrict certain types of games, monitor activities, etc.). When submitting an online game, just send the entry form with the URL indicated on the form.
When submitting an electronic learning item (i.e. LeapFrog, VTech, Laptops, etc.), you will need to include five (5) sets of the complete system.
For educational computer games please see the Educational Software category.
Educational Software (Microsoft Windows and/or MAC OS)
2001 Ages 3 & 4
2002 Ages 5 to 7
2003 Ages 8 to 11
2004 Ages 12 to 15
2005 Ages 16 & Up
Educational Product
3001 Birth to 2
3002 Ages 3 & 4
3003 Ages 5 to 7
3004 Ages 8 to 11
3005 Ages 12 to 15
3006 Ages 16 & Up
Magazines (For eMagazines see the Online Resources category)
4001 Children (Up to Age 12)
4002 Teens
4003 Family & Parenting
4004 Boy’s Interest
4005 Girl’s Interest
4006 Men’s Interest
4007 Women’s Interest
4008 Home & Garden
4009 Health, Mind & Body
Online Resources (Websites, eMagazines and Blogs)
5001 Children (Up to Age 12)
5002 Teens
5003 Family/Parenting
Kids Media, Electronics & Accessories
6001 Cameras & Camcorders
6002 Audio & MP3 Players
6003 Plug & Play
6004 TV, DVD & Portable Video
6005 Accessories
Miscellaneous
7001 Inspirational, Motivational or Self-Improvement Product
7002 Gift Cards, Invitations & Stationary
7003 Gift Items, Gift Books & Ornaments
7004 Philanthropic Product/Service
Legal
By the submission of the Entry Form and product samples, Entrant agrees to the following:
Entrant company, or it’s duly authorized representative, certifies that all information submitted in the Entry Form is true.
Entrant understands and agrees that the MCA has the right to grant or not grant awards in its sole and absolute discretion, which Entrant agrees not to challenge in any forum or setting, whether public or private.
Entrant certifies that each product that it submits to the MCA complies with all mandatory and voluntary safety standards. Entrant understands and agrees that: (a) any review that the MCA conducts will be limited solely to the guidelines and general criteria outlined herein for the sole benefit of the MCA; and (b) the MCA’s review, analysis, commentary, and/or the grant of an award shall under no circumstances be deemed to constitute any opinion, representation, or warranty as to the safety of the products by any at the MCA, its officers, trustees, directors, agents and employees.
Entrant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the MCA as well as all of its officers, trustees, directors, agents, employees, successors and assigns, from and against any and all Damages and Claims. “Damages and Claims” are understood and agreed to mean: (a) damages caused by products submitted to the MCA; and (b) claims, demands, causes of action, debts, liabilities, losses or costs (including but not limited to lawyers’ fees and costs), however designated, that relate to the products Entrant has submitted to the MCA and/or any awards granted by the MCA to the Entrant.
Under no circumstances shall the MCA be liable to any party on account of use of the products submitted. Such limitation of liability shall apply to prevent recovery of direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special and exemplary damages, arising from any of use of the products submitted.
Entrant certifies to the MCA that its submission does not infringe upon any other party’s intellectual property rights.
By submitting the Entry Form, Entrant agrees to be bound by the Mom's Choice Image Use Policy, should you be a recipient of an award.