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Textbook
Excellence Awards ("Textys")
Text
and Academic Authors created the Textbook Excellence Award in
1992 to recognize current textbooks and learning materials. To
be nominated, a work must carry a copyright date for the previous
or current year. TAA designed the award, called the Texty, because
text materials did not have awards of their own. Entries are not limited to books but may include learning materials in all mediums.
There are eight academic subject categories for Textys:
- Accounting,
business and economics.
- Communication,
education and performing and visual arts.
- Computer
science and engineering.
- Humanities
and social sciences.
- Languages
and literature.
- Life sciences.
- Math and
stats.
- Physical
sciences.
Judges consider
making one award per category per year.
College and el-hi books are judged separately. If there are college
and el-hi entries in all eight categories, there is the potential
for 16 Textys to be awarded each year -- eight in the college division
and eight in the el-hi division. If there are no entries in a category,
there are fewer awards. Judges may decide no entries in a category
deserve an award.
Judges are asked to rank entries on a 1-5 scale in these criteria:
- Interesting
and informative.
- Well organized
and well prepared.
- Up to date
and appealing.
- Teachability.
In addition,
judges are asked to describe strengths and special features that
contribute to each work. Judges also are asked to describe weaknesses.
In event of a tie on the rankings, these open-ended comments can
assist the chief judge for each category in making a decision. The
open-ended comments are made available to nominated authors, without
judges being identified.
Texty Awards are presented at the TAA Awards Ceremony, held during the association’s annual conference in June. Those not present are mailed their award after the conference. Authors or publishers can purchase silver Texty and McGuffey seals to place on their textbooks or promotional materials for a nominal fee. Also, the Texty logo can be reproduced by the publisher
for use in marketing materials.
Texty entries can be nominated by authors or publishers. The publisher or author pays a $300 nomination fee to help offset TAA's costs.
- Single
Books. Judges' addresses will be provided to the nominating publisher or author for sending copies of the books for judging.
- Series. The publisher submits three copies of a sample of the series,
including three student editions and three teacher editions. If
the work spans two or more grade levels, the sample should include
three copies at a lower level and three copies at a higher level.
Nominations may include a promotional brochure or package for
the entire series to help judges under the scope of the program
and components. Nominations are limited to three ancillaries
that coincide with the grade levels that are submitted.
- Big
Books. Big books may be entered only if they are stand-alone
works that aren't derived from a core work. The publisher submits
two copies. Big books are the oversize reproductions of pages
from the core text, usually spiral bound and 24 by 36 inches
for mounting on a classroom easel.
For a series,
the award is for the entire series.
Judges are veteran authors in appropriate subject areas. Members
of their panel of judges who have a directly competing work are
asked to sit out.
TAA issues news releases on the awards to journals and publications
and to other media outlets designated by each winner.
Publishers and authors may cite the Texty in promoting winning
works.
The deadline for the nomination form and fee is November 1st. The deadline for TAA to receive the books and any ancillaries and supplements for judging purposes is December 1st. These deadlines are somewhat flexible when dates fall on weekends.
There is no limit to the number of entries a publisher can submit.
Texty
Award Logo to Download
Text to
use in describing the award:
Text and Academic Authors Association Textbook Excellence (“Texty”) Award:
Recognizing Current Textbooks and Learning Materials for Excellence
This textbook was awarded a "Textbook Excellence Award" from the Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA) the only association devoted solely to serving textbook and academic authors since 1987 (www.TAAonline.net). The "Textbook Excellence Award" recognizes works for their excellence in the areas of content, presentation, appeal, and teachability. These awards are given each year in several academic disciplines for both elementary and high school works and college titles. TAA's panel of judges are all noted textbook authors in these disciplines.
Please link your logos to: http://www.taaonline.net/awards, or the web page associated with the year that you won your award (check winner archive).
Silver stickers containing either the Texty or McGuffey logo can be ordered for $40 per 100. These stickers can be used on already printed textbooks taken to conferences or sent as complimentary copies. To order stickers, contact Janet Tucker at TAA headquarters at (727) 563-0020 or TextandAcademicAuthors@taaonline.net
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