The Colorado Blue Spruce Award is a unique award where submissions are nominated by and voted on by teens. No adults allowed – including publishers. With a nod to the official state tree, this award is specific to teens in Colorado. There is a list of 12-15 titles every year compiled by the Blue Spruce Award committee based on books that were nominated the previous year. It's recommended that a teen reads at least three of the books before voting on one of them, but they can still nominate a book of their choice if they want. 

Currently, teens at Anythink Bennett can become familiar with some of these titles as part of a display. I am getting them involved in knowing more about popular books, getting them to vote for their favorite book, and also nominate books for next year. I will have this year's nominees on display for them to look through, vote on, and also nominate a book for next year. I'll then be voting for them as a representative (you can do that on their site) so that their votes are counted and their opinions are heard. What this means is that they do not have to do the voting for themselves if they don't want to take the time to log in. I gather all votes turned in and share on their behalf online. The Colorado Blue Spruce Award helps with accessibility by making it easy for teachers and librarians to take teen feedback and nominate for them. Votes need to be in by Dec. 31.  The winner and next year's nominees are announced in February. 

Check out the website for Colorado Blue Spruce Awards online at coloradobluespruceaward.org.

Curious about the winners? See a list of previous Colorado Blue Spruce Award winners available in the Anythink catalog here.