For the first time in the six-year history of the Palmetto Book Award, the nomination process is being opened to the public. Presented annually by the South Carolina Center for the Book, the Palmetto Book Award honors a South Carolina individual or organization that works to promote the literary arts and to foster a creative atmosphere in South Carolina. The 2007 award will be presented at the South Carolina Book Festival in February, and the deadline for nominations is January 15th, 2007.

he criteria for the Palmetto Book Award are: 1) the nominee must be a living South Carolina resident or an active South Carolina organization and 2) the nominee must currently be involved in promoting the literary arts in South Carolina. The nomination process includes filling out a brief nomination form with contact information and writing a letter of support explaining why the nominee should receive the award.

Previous winners of the Palmetto Book Award are the South Carolina Young Writers Conference in 2006, the Hub City Writers Project in 2005, the Beaufort County Library in 2004, Tom Johnson of the South Caroliniana Library in 2003, and Sara Breibart of the Charleston County Public Library in 2002. From 2002-2006, the award was selected by the SC Center for the Book’s advisory committee. The 2007 Palmetto Book Award will be the first one selected by a nomination process open to the public.

For more information about the Palmetto Book Award or the South Carolina Center for the Book, please contact Theresa J. Wallace at 803-771-2477.

Download nomination form and guidelines here!