Bridge to Understanding Award
PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING
A PROGRAM THAT MEETS
THE AWARD CRITERIA
PREPARED BY THE 2013-2014 USBBY
BRIDGE TO UNDERSTANDING AWARD COMMITTEE
The Bridge to Understanding Award is sponsored and
awarded by USBBY. The award is one way the
organization furthers its mission:
“The United States Board on Books for Young People
(USBBY) is a nonprofit organization devoted to
building bridges of international understanding
through children’s and young adult books; it serves as
the U.S. national section of the International Board on
Books for Young People (IBBY).”
http://www.usbby.org/usbby.html
“This prestigious award was established in memory of
Arlene Pillar, an educator who served USBBY as
newsletter editor from 1984 until her untimely death
in 1990. Organizations eligible for the award include
schools, libraries, scout troops, clubs, and bookstores.
The program may be a one-time event, or an ongoing
series of events, that serves children ranging in age
from kindergarten through tenth grade. The award
carries a monetary prize of $1000 and a certificate.”
http://www.usbby.org/list_b2u.html
The information on this PowerPoint is designed to
help you:
 Understand the “Bridge to Understanding Award”
criteria
 Develop an outstanding “Bridge to Understanding
Award” program
 Submit a successful “Bridge to Understanding
Award” application
Bridge to Understanding Award Criteria:
1. Program must be sponsored by an organization (schools, libraries,
clubs, scout troops) within the United States.
2. Program must promote reading as a way to expand a child's world.
3. Program must use books and reading as a way of promoting an
understanding of one or more cultures of countries other than the
United States. The targeted cultures should not be those from which
the majority of the children participating in the program have come.
4. Program must focus on cultures of individual countries rather than
on continents as a whole. A program may include cultures of some or
all countries on a continent or culture from a selection of countries
from various continents.
Bridge to Understanding Award Criteria - continued:
5. Stereotypes or traditional costumes without cultural authenticity
and contemporary significance to a culture will disqualify the entry.
Preference will be given to current rather than traditional culture.
6. The program may be a one-time event or an ongoing series that
serves children ranging in age from kindergarten through tenth grade.
7. In order to be considered, the program must occur within 2013. The
program may begin in a prior year and extend into the eligible year.
Entire project must be described and submitted by March 1st of the
year immediately following the year in which the project is completed.
An ongoing program may be submitted but must be fully described.
8. Goals for the program must be stated and the program must meet
the stated goals. How it reaches the goals must be described.
9. The impact on the community must be demonstrated by publicity
coverage or anecdotal evidence.
Books Criterion
 How did you select books to support your program?
 Are the books of high literary quality in terms of
authentically and accurately portraying cultures?
 How did you use the books in the program to deepen
participants' understanding of cultures?
Possible Sources: Outstanding International Children’s Book
Lists (2006 to present):
http://www.usbby.org/list_oibl.html
Books Criterion – For the Application: Self-Check
 Does your application include a list of book titles?
 Does the bibliography of books suggest a careful
selection process that included attention to the quality
of print and illustrations?
 Are the majority of the titles more recent publications?
 Do the books address contemporary as well as
traditional/historical culture?
Culture Criterion
What is a broad understanding of culture?
A “Bridge to Understanding Award” program
goes beyond
food, fashion, folklore, famous people,
and festivals.
Culture Criterion – For the Application: Self-Check
 Have you made it clear that the program developers
understand that culture involves a broad way of
being in the world?
 Did participants come away from the program with a
deeper understanding of this culture/cultures?
 How do you know this? How did you communicate
this in your application?
Contemporary or Traditional Culture ?
An exemplary
“Bridge to Understanding Award” program
focuses on
contemporary life and culture.
Impact Criterion – For the Application: Self-Check
 How many participants were impacted by the
program?
 How did the publicity for this program spotlight the
role of international children's and young adult
literature in building bridges for understanding
between and among cultures?
Eligibility Criteria – For the Application: Self-Check
 Is your organization within the United States?
 Did it present a program for children using children’s
literature and reading as a way of promoting deep
understanding of one or more cultures?
 Did your program target youth from kindergarten to
tenth grade?
 Was the majority of the target audience from cultures
other than the one or ones under study?
 Did your program take place during the previous
calendar year? (Example: in 2013 for the 2014 Award)
 Congratulations! If you meet these criteria, you have
developed an outstanding program that supports the
mission of USBBY!
 Please download the application at:
http://www.usbby.org/list_b2u.html
 Please submit your application packet in electronic
format.
 We look forward to learning about your program and
reviewing your application.
Sincerely,
USBBY Bridge to Understanding Award Committee
 For more information:
 USBBY Secretariat,
5202 Old Orchard Road, Suite 300,
Skokie, IL 60077
Email: secretariat@usbby.org
Phone: (224) 233-2030