Literary Award Winner 2022 - Teen Bookfest by the Bay

The Texas Center for the Book has announced that the Teen Bookfest by the Bay is the recipient of the seventh annual Texas Center for the Book Literacy Award. This $2,000 award honors a qualified 501(c)(3) organization that has made outstanding contributions to increasing literacy in Texas. View a video about this year’s winner.

Funded by the Texas Library and Archives Foundation, Inc., the 2022 Literacy Awards also include two honorable mention award recipients: Inside Books Project in Austin and Readers 2 Leaders in Dallas. Each will each receive an award of $500 in recognition of their efforts to promote reading and combat illiteracy.

“We were delighted to receive nominations from across the state in the seventh year of this Texas award. The purpose of this award is to highlight a winning organization, while promoting a greater appreciation and awareness of literacy efforts statewide,” said Texas Center for the Book Coordinator Rebekah Manley.

Since 2015, Teen Bookfest by the Bay has provided an annual Book Festival which connects teen readers with published authors. The Bookfest encourages interaction between aspiring teen writers and established authors and illustrators. The purpose of the Teen Bookfest by the Bay is to educate, enrich, and entertain area teens and other participants while providing an opportunity to celebrate the joy of reading.

“We are very honored and excited to receive this award,” said Ana Lisa Lawhon, Teen Bookfest by the Bay President. “This will enable us to continue connecting published authors with teens in the Coastal Bend area.”

Readers 2 Leaders provides research-driven literacy tutoring that meets children where they are and helps them build the skills they need to thrive. Through in-school, after-school, and summer tutoring, as well as partnerships with other organizations, Readers 2 Leaders helps hundreds of children each year become booklovers!

"We are so grateful to receive an honorable mention for the 2022 Texas Center for the Book Library Award and can't wait to continue supporting early literacy programs in Dallas that help all children succeed,” said Norma Nelson, President and CEO of Readers 2 Leaders.

Inside Books Project has spent almost 25 years sending books to people in Texas prisons, providing an average of 5,000 books each month to around 1,500 people in more than 100 prisons around the state. During the Covid pandemic they have kept up operations to ensure that participants still have access to literature behind bars.

Scott Odierno, Coordinator at Inside Books Project, said, “On behalf of everyone at Inside Books, a warm thank you for this generous award. Your contribution will have a great impact on the folks we serve.”