The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is an annual award conferred by the American Library Association upon the publisher of "the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States".[1][2] It is jointly administered by two ALA divisions (Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)) and sponsored by Booklist magazine.[3] It recognizes production quality in all respects, considering such things as narration, sound quality, background music and sound effects.[3] It is named for Homer's eighth century BCE epic poem Odyssey, which was transmitted orally, to remind us modern people of the ancient roots of storytelling.[3]
| Odyssey Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | the year's best English-language audiobook for children or young adults |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Association for Library Service to Children and Young Adult Library Services Association, divisions of ALA |
| First awarded | 2008 |
| Website | ala |
The award was inaugurated in 2008.
For many reasons indicated in the 2008 manifesto, "it is essential for ALSC and YALSA to provide the same level of support for this nonprint format that they have historically provided for print materials, by creating an annual award for the best audiobooks in the field."[4]
Criteria
editSource: "Eligibility & Criteria"[4]
- All literary genres are eligible for consideration, including read-alongs.[4]
- The Committee will consider and vote on titles published within their assigned calendar year, January 1 to October 31, in addition to those published between November 1 and December 31 of the previous year. A title may only be submitted once and cannot be reconsidered the next year.[4]
- Audiobooks produced previously in another audio format are ineligible for consideration.[4]
- The audiobook is intended for either young adults or children, who are defined as persons up to and including age 18; works for this entire age range are to be considered. Adult titles are ineligible.[4]
- Audiobooks featuring single or full cast narration are eligible.[4]
- Audiobooks previously published in another country are eligible presuming they have also been distributed in the United States during the term of eligibility.[4]
- Only audiobooks produced in English are considered, but this requirement does not limit the use of words or phrases in another language where appropriate in context.[4]
- If no title is deemed sufficiently meritorious, no award will be given that year.[4]
- The chair, with assistance from designated ALSC or YALSA staff, is responsible for verifying the eligibility of all nominated titles.[4]
- The award will be presented to the producers of the audiobooks.[4]
Recipients
editIn each of the fifteen cycles to 2022, at least one title has been named an Honor Audiobook with five being the greatest number of Honors (2008, 2009, 2018) and one being the fewest (2016). Beginning in the 2022 award-year, two titles may be named Winners, one for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Children, and one for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Young Adults.[5]
Multiple awards
editListening Library has won 5 awards and Live Oak Media and Harper have each won 3.
Katherine Kellgren is the narrator of the most Odyssey-honored titles at five Honor Audiobooks, including three written by L. A. Meyer and produced by Listen & Live Audio — the first, second, and fourth Jacky Faber books.[a]
2009
Sherman Alexie, author and narrator of the 2009 Odyssey Award-winning audiobook, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, also won the annual National Book Award for Young People's Literature for the print edition of that book (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2007).[9]
2020
Jarret J. Krosoczka, who wrote, illustrated, and narrated the 2020 Odyssey-winning audiobook Hey, Kiddo, was a National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalist for the print edition.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d The table gives full titles except for three Jacky Faber books written by L. A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren, and produced by Listen & Live Audio:
- 2008 Honor, Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
- 2009 Honor, Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady
- 2010 Honor, In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber
References
edit- ^ "Welcome to the Odyssey Award home page!". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Library Association (ALA). Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ^ "Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production" Archived 2011-12-04 at the Wayback Machine. Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). ALA. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
- ^ a b c "About the ALSC/Booklist/YALSA Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production". ALSC. ALA. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "ALSC/Booklist/YALSA Odyssey Award Eligibility & criteria". ALSC. ALA. 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ YALSA (2021). "Odyssey Award Manual" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ "Odyssey Award winners and honor audiobooks, 2008–present" Archived 2015-04-26 at the Wayback Machine. ALSC. ALA. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ^ "Listening Library Nabs 2012 Odyssey Award" Archived 2023-02-21 at the Wayback Machine. Phyllis Levy Mandell. School Library Journal. January 23, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ "Brilliance Audio wins 2013 Odyssey Award for The Fault in Our Stars" Archived 2013-03-02 at the Wayback Machine. ALA Press Release. January 28, 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- ^ "National Book Awards – 2007" Archived 2019-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. National Book Foundation (NBF). Retrieved 2012-04-15.
(With acceptance speech by Alexie, interview with Alexie, and other material, partly replicated for all five Young People's Literature authors and books.)