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Textys
Textbook
Excellence Awards
 Text
and Academic Authors created the Textbook Excellence Award in
1992 to recognize current textbooks and learning materials. To
be nominated, a work must carry a copyright date for the previous
or current year. TAA designed the award, called the Texty, because
text materials did not have awards of their own. Entries are not
limited to books but may include learning materials in all mediums.
There are eight academic subject categories for Textys:
- Accounting,
business and economics.
- Communication,
education and performing and visual arts.
- Computer
science and engineering.
- Humanities
and social sciences.
- Languages
and literature.
- Life sciences.
- Math and
stats.
- Physical
sciences.
Judges consider
making one award per category per year.
College and el-hi books are judged separately. If there are college
and el-hi entries in all eight categories, there is the potential
for 16 Textys to be awarded each year -- eight in the college division
and eight in the el-hi division. If there are no entries in a category,
there are fewer awards. Judges may decide no entries in a category
deserve an award.
Judges are asked to rank entries on a 1-5 scale in these criteria:
- Interesting
and informative.
- Well organized
and well prepared.
- Up to date
and appealing.
- Teachability.
In addition,
judges are asked to describe strengths and special features that
contribute to each work. Judges also are asked to describe weaknesses.
In event of a tie on the rankings, these open-ended comments can
assist the chief judge for each category in making a decision. The
open-ended comments are made available to nominated authors, without
judges being identified.
Textys are presented at the annual TAA awards banquet which closes
out our annual convention in June. Each author, including co-authors,
receives a plaque, as does the editor or publisher. Publishers may
purchase silver Texty seals at a nominal fee to use in promotional
materials. Also, the Texty logo can be reproduced by the publisher
for use in marketing materials.
Texty entries are nominated by publishers, not the authors. An author
can make the initial inquiry and "get the ball rolling," but it
must be the publisher who does the nomination. The publisher pays
a $300 nomination fee to help offset TAA's costs.
- Single
Books. The publisher submits six copies of the work and
any ancillary and supplemental materials to TAA headquarters
for judging. Exceptions:
- Series.
The publisher submits two copies of a sample of the series,
including two student editions and two teacher editions. If
the work spans two or more grade levels, the sample should include
two copies at a lower level and two copies at a higher level.
Nominations may include a promotional brochure or package for
the entire series to help judges under the scope of the program
and components. Nominations are limited to three ancillaries
that coincide with the grade levels that are submitted.
- Big
Books. Big books may be entered only if they are stand-alone
works that aren't derived from a core work. The publisher submits
two copies. Big books are the oversize reproductions of pages
from the core text, usually spiral bound and 24 by 36 inches
for mounting on a classroom easel.
For a series,
the award is for the entire series.
Judges are veteran authors in appropriate subject areas. Entries
are judged by no fewer than three but usually five judges. Members
of their panel of judges who have a directly competing work are
asked to sit out.
TAA issues news releases on the awards to journals and publications
and to other media outlets designated by each winner.
Publishers and authors may cite the Texty in promoting winning
works.
The deadline for the nomination form and fee is November 15th.
The deadline for TAA to receive the books and any ancillaries
and supplements for judging purposes is December 15th. These deadlines
are somewhat flexible when dates fall on weekends.
There is no limit to the number of entries a publisher can submit.
Texty Awards
2008 Publisher Nomination Form
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