With the help of many of our 2021 Willow finalist authors, one of the most exciting opportunities we provided this year were our two contests, running from September – March. For both contests, we received entries from across the province. It was exciting to see them come in! The first contest was the 20th Anniversary All-Star Contest where we asked Willow promoters to send us pictures of the Willow books that they have in their library collections. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to find these great titles and bring them to the attention of their library patrons! Each picture sent was an entry to win a zoom visit with one of our 2021 finalist authors who have won a Willow Award in the past, our Willow All-Stars.
Our All-Star Authors were:
- Linda Bailey, author of Princesses vs. Dinosaurs (Shining finalist 2021) and If Kids Ruled the World (Shining winner 2015). Robert Southey School, Southey was the winner of a zoom visit with her.
- Gordon Korman, author of The Unteachables (Snow finalist 2021), Swindle (Diamond winner 2009), Masterminds (Diamond winner 2016) and Schooled (Snow winner 2008). St. Kateri Tekakwitha School, Saskatoon was the winner of a zoom visit with him.
- Kathy Kacer, author of The Brushmaker’s Daughter (Diamond finalist 2021) and I Am Not A Number (Diamond winner 2017) George Lee School, Regina was the winner of a zoom visit with her.
The second contest was the 20th Anniversary Author Contest. Six more 2021 Shining, Diamond and Snow finalist authors offered to provide teachers a chance to win a virtual visit or reading. Here are the featured authors and winners:
- October’s featured author was Heather M. O’Connor, Shining Award finalist for Fast Friends. The zoom visit was won by Jack Mackenzie School, Regina.
- November’s featured author was Tziporah Cohen, Diamond Award finalist for No Vacancy. The zoom visit was won by James Hamblin School, Qu’Appelle.
- December’s featured author was Mike Stewart, Snow Award finalist for Heart Sister. The zoom visit was won by Chief Little Pine School, Paynton.
- January’s featured authors were The Fan Brothers, Shining Award finalist for The Barnabus Project. The zoom reading was won by Spruce Home Public School, Prince Albert.
- February’s featured author was Gina McMurchy-Barber, Diamond Award finalist for The Jigsaw Puzzle King. The zoom visit was won by Davidson School, Davidson.
- March’s featured author was Colleen Nelson, Snow Award finalist for Spin. The zoom visit was won by Ecole Community School, Regina.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to the authors who gave so freely of their time. Many teachers and teacher-librarians shared the excitement of their students with us. Your time was greatly appreciated!