NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Committee
The Orbis Pictus Award® was established in 1989 to promote and recognize excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children. The name Orbis Pictus, commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius, Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures (1657), considered to be the first book actually planned for children.
The award is presented at the Children’s Book Awards Luncheon at the NCTE Annual Convention.
Committee Charge
To select the recipient of the annual Orbis Pictus Award® and up to five honor books, and to promote the use of children’s nonfiction books in the classroom.
If you would like to be considered for possible membership on this committee, please send the following information to NCTECommittees@ncte.org.
- Name
- Member Number (If you are not currently a member, please provide your address).
- Email Address
- A brief biographical statement (Please consider including information about why you’d like to serve, and what strengths you bring to the committee)
- Resume/CV and any relevant experience (i.e. evidence of how you engage with children’s literature in the form of a sample book review or annotation, created for the application or provided from another location like a blog or review site.)
Area(s) of Expertise
Awards; Committees
Committee Member Expectations
- Current NCTE membership is required of all committee members.
- Not currently serving on any other national book committees (ALA, IRA, NCTE, or other).
- Read all nonfiction books received in consideration for the award, typically around 700 annually.
- Participation in all committee work and several online meetings throughout the year is vital to the selection of quality books that speak to the award’s specific purpose.
- Only one in-person meeting is required each year in November. This meeting intentionally coincides with the NCTE Annual Convention, where the final deliberation meeting and the NCTE Children’s Book Awards Luncheon (where winners are honored and announced) are held. Annual in-person attendance is an important part of committee member responsibilities.
- Applicants should be prepared to pay, if selected for the committee, for all expenses related to NCTE Annual Convention attendance (Convention registration, travel, lodging, and food). NCTE scholarships for Convention registration are typically available, and committee members are welcome to apply. If institutional funds are available from your employer, NCTE can provide any needed documentation to apply for or receive reimbursement.
General Information
- Time Commitment: Over 1 year
- Deadline: 01/31/2025
- Position Type: Appointed by Committee Chair
- Convention travel expected
Questions? Contact NCTECommittees@ncte.org