By Nicole Bay
It’s that time of year again! No, not the Oscar season—it’s time to send in your nominations for the annual LDSPMA Praiseworthy Awards.
LDSPMA instituted the Praiseworthy Awards in 2016 to honor entire teams who collaborate to bring excellent work to light. Authors, illustrators, and content writers are extremely important in the initial stages of a new creative endeavor. They have the inspiration for a story, a movie, or a podcast. Then editors, designers, producers, directors, and actors add their magic and vision to refine that work and prepare it to meet the world. We appreciate all the work that goes into creating an outstanding piece of art, so we give Praiseworthy Awards to all members of the winning teams.
Last year we were thrilled to receive so many high-quality entries. Publishers nominated their best books, but LDSPMA members and friends entered their favorites, too. Past winners include authors published locally as well as nationally. (See the 2020 Awards Winners page.)
And the Praiseworthy Awards contest isn’t just for books—we want to recognize excellence in audiovisual media, such as podcasts, songs, and films, and in multimedia projects, such as interactive websites, video games, and apps.
We welcome submissions from most genres that explore a wide variety of themes and content. A picture book about the first woman to run the Boston Marathon? Yes, please! How about a biography of a prophet or a novel about forbidden love? Absolutely! What about a book that deals with mental illness, a podcast about success in business, or a recording of a rock song? Yes, yes, yes!
The common denominators for Praiseworthy winners? A top-notch product whose creators include at least one member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We know you’ve either created or loved a book or other work that deserves some recognition. Check out our eligibility and submissions guidelines, and then use this form to submit a nomination.
Nominations are open from March 15 to April 16, 2021, for works produced in 2020.
Keep creating and consuming excellent media! The world needs it!
Bio: Nicole Bay is the LDSPMA Director of Awards. She teaches linguistics at Brigham Young University and writes children’s fiction and nonfiction. Her favorite things are her husband and kids, homemade bread and cookies, reading, writing, and crossword puzzles.