FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Janelle Mihoc, admin@edupaperback.org

October 19, 2023 – The Educational Book and Media Association (EBMA) is pleased to announce that Jeff Kinney is the recipient of the 2023 Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award. The award, named after EBMA’s founder, is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the educational book world. Past recipients include Joseph Bruchac, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, and Judy Blume.

Jeff Kinney is the #1 international bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

“The EBMA community is honored to present this year’s Ludington Award to Jeff Kinney,” said Ben Conn, EBMA President. “Jeff’s words and illustrations, a mix of realistic dialogue and emotions with laugh-out-laugh antics, have been a favorite with middle schoolers around the world. We all hope for more adventures with Greg and Rowley.”

Jeff Kinney will accept the Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award at EBMA’s annual conference in Colorado Springs in February 2024. As part of the award, EBMA will present a $2,000 check to the book-related charity of Mr. Kinney’s choice.

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EBMA is an association of 119 wholesalers and publishers who are reputable and authoritative suppliers of educational paperbacks, hardcovers, pre-bound books, e-books, and other digital and print materials to the school and library market. The mission of EBMA is to foster a unique community that brings together a wide range of wholesalers and publishers in order to address the ever-changing book and media buying needs of the educational marketplace.

 For more information about EBMA and the Ludington Award, visit www.edupaperback.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Janelle Mihoc
admin@edupaperback.org

EBMA NAMES JERRY CRAFT AS THE WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL JEREMIAH LUDINGTON MEMORIAL NEW VOICES AWARD

December 5, 2022 – The Educational Book and Media Association (EBMA) is pleased to announce that Jerry Craft is the recipient of the inaugural 2023 Jeremiah Ludington Memorial New Voices Award. The award, named after EBMA’s founder, has historically celebrated the lifetime achievement of creators in the educational book world. The New Voices Award was established this year to recognize rising contemporary voices in this all-important industry.

Jerry Craft is the #1 New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of the Newbery Medal-winning graphic novel, New Kid, and its companion books, Class Act and the forthcoming School Trip, publishing on April 4, 2023. New Kid is also the winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. Jerry is the creator of Mama’s Boyz, an award-winning syndicated comic strip. He has won five African American Literary Awards and is a cofounder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts.

“The EBMA community is proud to present the first Jeremiah Ludington Memorial New Voices Award to Jerry Craft,” said Lisa Maisonneuve, EBMA President. “Jerry’s graphic novels offer wit, wisdom, and humor while tackling middle school challenges. Both readers and educators will eagerly be waiting for more influential and insightful works from Jerry.”

Jerry Craft will accept the Jeremiah Ludington Memorial New Voices Award at EBMA’s annual conference in the Bahamas in February 2023. As part of the award, EBMA will present a $2,000 check to the book-related charity of Mr. Craft’s choice.

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EBMA is an association of more than 100 wholesalers and publishers who are reputable and authoritative suppliers of educational paperbacks, hardcovers, pre-bound books, e-books, and other digital and print materials to the school and library market. The mission of EBMA is to foster a unique community that brings together a wide range of wholesalers and publishers in order to address the ever-changing book and media buying needs of the educational marketplace.

 For more information about EBMA and the Ludington Award, visit www.edupaperback.org.