FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Janelle Mihoc
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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.