Last year my novel for children The Rising Son was nominated for a CAP Award. The Carousel Aware Prize for Independent Authors was created by, author and creative writing teacher, Carolann Copland last year to promote the best in self published literature. The team at CAP write:
“The publishing industry in Ireland is changing: traditional publishing is no longer the only route to publishing success and The CAP Awards is leading the way in its championship of Irish independent authors.
We are committed to acknowledging and promoting excellence in all aspects of independent book publishing and hope that the Awards will inspire and encourage Irish Indie authors to focus on ensuring that their work reaches the highest possible standards in all aspects of publishing, from writing and editing through to design and marketing.
The CAP Awards is also a reader’s guarantee of quality, offering readers fresh, new voices and vision only available from independent authors combined with professional, high-level standards of publishing.
These Awards would not be possible without the support of many.
The CAP Awards Committee would like to thank all the judges for 2016 – Louise Phillips, Claire Hennessy, Jax Miller, Tony Canavan and St Colmcille’s Junior National School, Knocklyon for giving so generously of their time in supporting the Awards. Thanks also to Hazel Gaynor for cutting the red ribbon on the night. A huge thank you to our 2016 sponsors for their support at the gala evening and throughout the year: Dubray Books, Easons, Books Ireland, Emu Ink Publishing, The Dublin Writers’ Conference and InTallaght Magazine.
A big thank you to CAP Awards founder, author and owner of Carousel Creates Writers’ Centre, Carolann Copland, whose vision and passion for writing and independent publishing was the inspiration and the driving force behind these Awards, and to Gerry O’Brien and all the staff at Aware for their support and assistance in our first Award year. And last, but not least, thanks to the other members of the CAP Awards Committee: Anne O’Leary, Neil Copland, Joan Brady, Bernadette Kearns and Tara Sparling for all their hard work and dedication to making this inaugural year of The CAP Awards such a success.”
Winners 2016
Last year’s winners were:
- Best Novel – Orna Ross, Her Secret Rose
- Best Short Story Anthology – Kevin Doyle, Do You Like Oranges?
- Best Junior Book – Aisli Madden, Zenji & the Muzzy Bug
- Best Young Adult Book – Brendan O’Connell, Death’s New Lease On Life
- Best Non-Fiction Book – Lorna Sixsmith, How to be a Perfect Farm Wife
Launch of 2017 CAP Awards
There is a general invitation to the launch of “The CAP Awards 2017” on 25th March 2017 between 2pm and 5pm at The Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Square West. There will be a readers’ and writers’ day with panel discussions from both the world of traditionally and independently published authors. There will also be some short readings from authors and they will be announcing the amount that was raised by The CAP Awards 2016 for their charity Aware. Both writers and readers are welcome to attend on the day and to ask questions from the judges and the committee regarding the upcoming submissions for our awards. They will be seeking submissions following the launch with the closing date for receipt of all submissions being 31st May 2017.
This is a great opportunity for self published and independent authors to get their book out there, raise their profile and to establish a readership. I would encourage every one to get behind this farsighted venture.
