For immediate release | October 3, 2025
Call for Volunteers: Serve on ALA Award Juries
CHICAGO - The ALA Awards Committee invites self-nominations from ALA members interested in serving on an ALA Awards Jury for the upcoming cycle of the following general awards.
Jury members will play a vital role in promoting the award, reviewing nominations, and selecting exceptional individuals or institutions that have made significant contributions to the field. This is a unique opportunity to give back to the profession, collaborate with fellow members and help spotlight exemplary work in libraries.
Composition and Eligibility:
- Most juries consist of five members, plus a chair. The time commitment is approximately five months. Juries finalize their selections by March 1, 2026.
- If volunteering for the Schneider Family Book Award, please note interest by February 15, 2026. As a book award committee, the working calendar for Schneider does not follow the same timeline as other listed awards. Please refer to the Schneider webpage for further details: Schneider Family Book Award | ALA
- Individuals, their institutions, or current donors are ineligible to serve on the jury for an award they wish to be considered for.
The following Award Juries are tasked with determining the recipients of the ALA General Awards:
1. Beta Phi Mu Award
2. W.Y. Boyd Literary Award
3. ALA Medal of Excellence (formerly Melvil Dewey)
4. Ernest A. DiMattia Jr. Award for Innovation and Services to Community
5. EBSCO Information Services Library Staff Development Award
6. EBSCO Annual – ALA Conference Scholarship
7. ALA Information Today Library of the Future Award
8. Joseph W. Lippincott Award
9. Scholastic Library Publishing Award *name subject to change
10. Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity
11. Schneider Family Book Awards
12. Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship
How to Apply:
Submit your interest in serving by October 31, 2025, using the application form. For questions please contact the ALA Governance Office, governance@ala.org. Join us in celebrating and advancing excellence in librarianship – apply to serve on an ALA Award Jury today!
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For nearly 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
