YoungMinds Book Award 2009
Established in 2003, the annual book award seeks to raise awareness and create understanding of mental health needs of children and young people. As well as raising the profile of YoungMinds, its work contributes to our policy and campaigning objectives.
Fiction can often be an easier way to explore mental health problems, providing detailed information in an accessible and engaging format for both teenagers and adults. Books such as those submitted for the £2,000 award can help break the isolation experienced by young people and demonstrate that their feelings and problems are not unique.
The Book Award runs along side the annual lecture and has become Young Minds main public relations event. A ceremony and reception are held in central London in November/December for YoungMinds’ stakeholders, including key figures from the children and young people’s mental health sector, allied charities, politicians and policy makers as well as the publishing industry.
In 2008 Professor Tanya Byron, child psychologist and star of the BBC’s A House of Tiny Tearaways addressed the audience about the role of the internet, and the media in challenging the stigma associated with mental health. In previous years Jon Snow, journalist and presenter of the channel 4 news, Al Aynsley Green, Children’s Commissioner for England and Sir Michael Rutter, the ‘father of child psychology’ have given the lecture.
YoungMinds is currently seeking submissions for the YoungMinds Book Award 2009, which must have been published between 1 June 2008 and 31 May 2009. The£2000 Award will be given to a work of fiction or biography for young people aged 12+ which helps them to cope with the stresses and challenges of growing up.
If you would like to submit an entry please contact Hannah Smith at hannah.smith@youngminds.org.uk
YoungMinds is also seeking sponsorship for the Award, which in the past has attracted high-profile attention from the worlds of publishing, mental health and children’s services. Previous sponsors have included Nicci Gerrard, Sean French and Philip Pullman.
What does it cost?
- £2000 to act as sole the sponsor of the event
What will we get for this money?
- Joint branding with a high profile charity which promotes the emotional wellbeing and mental health of all children and young people.
- Press coverage including regional and national media and websites such as the national year of reading 2008. Further details are attached.
- Joint branding on invite, programme and press releases
- Free advert in the events programme and in the YoungMinds magazine worth £1000. The programme will be distributed at the event to our audience of supporters, mental health professionals, young people and journalists and in the magazine which is read by over 3000 YoungMinds supporters and professionals including educationalists, youth workers, mental health workers and policy makers.
- The opportunity to reach out to new audiences including book publishers, library book groups, participating schools, youth groups and YoungMinds Healthy Heads- our network of 500 young people with mental health problems.
