2024 Cardinal Cup Committee: Seeking Members

Are you a history buff?  Do you enjoy reading new juvenile and young adult literature? Apply to be a member of the 2024 Cardinal Cup Award Committee!  

Applicants must be willing to make the time commitment to read and discuss the books submitted for consideration, as well as attend physical and/or virtual meetings. Complete the application linked below and return it to Hailee Coleman, Cardinal Cup Committee Chair, by October 7, 2023. Email your completed application to [email protected].

The Cardinal Cup honors the most distinguished biography, historical fiction, or American history book for children and young adults published in the previous year. Presented since 1983, the Cardinal Cup Committee’s goal is to promote reading about America’s past; to encourage the quality writing of United States history, biography, and historical fiction for young people, and to recognize authors in these disciplines. Read more and see previous winners here.

The Cardinal Cup Committee selects the winning title. The committee has eight members: a chairperson and vice-chairperson (selected by the previous year’s committee) and six members selected by the current chair and the past chair of the previous year’s Cardinal Cup Committee.  It is the goal of the committee chair to cultivate a committee of diverse perspectives that include representatives of different VLA regions, backgrounds, occupations, and identities. All committee members must be members of VLA. Members may be employed by public libraries, schools of any type, or bookstores; they may also be unemployed or retired.

You may nominate yourself or a colleague for consideration. Persons selected must be willing to commit a large amount of personal time to read and evaluate books; committee members may receive over 200 titles. Members will also have to attend daytime meetings held virtually. The final meeting will be held in person. Persons who serve on the committee should be knowledgeable of literature for young people and have book evaluation experience. Cardinal Cup Committee members are expected to present programs at the annual VLA and, possibly, VAASL conferences, so a supervisor must sign the application, indicating he or she will allow the person to attend the conferences and will assist with the member’s expenses.