As the new 2012 Whitney President, it’s thrilling to see the Whitney Awards program entering its 6th year and continue to gain attention and prestige. Founded in 2006 by Robison Wells, the Whitney Award Academy strives to recognize excellence in fiction by LDS writers in accordance with early LDS apostle Orson F. Whitney’s prophesy, “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own.”
My favorite part about the Whitney Awards program is finding new authors whom I come to love. Out of the 35 finalists for 2011, most notable for me were Letters in the Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears, Shifting by Bethany Wiggins, Variant by Robison Wells, Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams, and The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. Not all these were winners, but you can be sure that I’ll continue to read each new book these authors produce. Other fantastic authors I’ve discovered reading Whitney Award finalists over the years are Kimberley Griffiths Little, Kiersten White, Sarah M. Eden, and Dan Wells. They have each been added to my must-read author lists. (Complete lists of yearly finalists and winners can be found at: www.whitneyawards.com)
Attending the Whitney Gala year after year, sometimes as an award finalist, other times as a committee member (which means I’m not eligible for the award), I’ve had the surreal experience of sitting next to Dean Hughes, hearing acceptance speeches by Gerald Lund, Dave Wolverton, Orson Scott Card, Anita Stansfield, Susan Evans McCloud, Jack Weyland, Rick Walton, Kerry Blair, Jennie Hansen, and Douglas Thayer. For one evening a year at the Whitney Gala, I am surrounded by literary greats, in a room thrumming with the some of the best creative minds in the publishing industry. I’ve been to many award events, and none have yet compared to the energy, talent, esteem and support that blend together as so many gifted authors come together with one purpose in mind-to recognize excellence in the literary arts by their own.
The winners of the 2011 category awards for best fiction by LDS authors are:
- Dan Wells for Best Novel, I Don’t Want to Kill You published by Tor Books
- Tess Hilmo for Best Novel by New Author, With A Name Like Love published by Macmillan
- Rachel Ann Nunes for Best General Fiction, Before I Say Goodbye published by Deseret Book
- Carla Kelly for Best Romance, Borrowed Light published by Cedar Fort
- Gale Sears for Best Historical Fiction, Letters in the Jade Dragon Box published by Deseret Book
- Stephanie Black for Best Mystery/Suspense, Rearview Mirror published by Covenant Communications
- Tess Hilmo again for Best Youth Fiction-General, With a Name Like Love published by Macmillan
- Robison Wells for Best Youth Fiction-Speculative, Variant published by HarperTeen
- Brandon Sanderson for Best Speculative Fiction, The Alloy of Law published by Tor Books
It was quite an exciting moment when Robison Wells won a Whitney Award, coming full circle after starting the program six years ago-and now he achieved the recognition which he set out to recognize other authors by.
Also recognized by the Academy each year are two achievement award honorees. The 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award went to Douglas Thayer, a BYU English Professor with 54 years of teaching experience, along with publications of three novels, dozens of short stories, a memoir, and other creative works, including the recipient of many literature awards.
The 2011 Outstanding Achievement Award went to Jack Weyland, a longtime best-selling author of young adult fiction in the LDS market-the author of more than two dozen books, most notably Charly, Weyland has also seen more than 50 short stories published in The New Era.
Eligibility requirements for the category novel awards include word count length (50,000 minimum word count for the adult categories, 20,000 minimum word count for youth categories), original publication date must be in the year of the award, and the author must be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s important to note that the novels do not have to be LDS in nature or have any LDS content. Full requirements are outlined under “Rules” on the website: www.whitneyawards.com
Anyone can nominate a novel through the website. Once five nominations are received, the novel becomes an official nomination. The novel will then advance to the judges’ round where a group of five judges, per category, will read each nomination, then vote in a weighted ballot system.
At the beginning of February the following year, the finalists of each category are announced. Each category has 5 finalists, making a total of 35 finalists in 7 categories, with the addition of Best Novel and Best Novel by New Author awards.
Once the 35 finalists are announced, the voting academy (made up of over 200 industry professionals-authors, book reviewers, book store employees, publishing houses, etc.), has the opportunity to read and vote on the finalists. Finalists and winners have included LDS writers in every stage of career recognition, from self-published, first-time authors, to New York Times bestselling writers.
The Whitney Award winners are announced at the Whitney Gala that follows the LDS Storymakers Conference each year (www.ldstorymakers.com). The Whitney Gala for the 2012 Awards will be held May 11, 2013, at the Provo Marriott.
The Whitney Awards is primarily sponsored by LDS Storymakers, a published authors’ guild for LDS writers. Interested sponsors can donate through the website. All committee members, the president, and the 35 judges serve on a volunteer basis, and funds from sponsors go toward the costs of running the program.
Whitney Awards Website: www.whitneyawards.com
-Heather B. Moore is a Best of State and Whitney Award Winning author. Recent books include historical novels, Ammon and Daughters of Jared, and the non-fiction work Christ’s Gifts to Women. Visit her website for more information: www.hbmoore.com
