The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is an annual award conferred by the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
upon the publisher of "the best
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
".
[ It is jointly administered by two ALA divisions ( Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and ]Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
(YALSA)) and sponsored by ''Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' magazine.[ It recognizes production quality in all respects, considering such things as narration, sound quality, background music and sound effects.][ It is named for ]Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
's eighth century BCE epic poem ''Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...
'', which was transmitted orally, to remind us modern people of the ancient roots of storytelling.[
The award was inaugurated in 2008.
For many reasons indicated in the 2008 manifesto, "it is essential for ALSC and ]YALSA
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
to provide the same level of support for this nonprint format that they have historically provided for print materials, by creating an annual award for the best audiobooks in the field."[
]
Criteria
Source: "Eligibility & Criteria"[
* All literary genres are eligible for consideration, including read-alongs.][
* The Committee will consider and vote on titles published within their assigned calendar year, January 1 to October 31, in addition to those published between November 1 and December 31 of the previous year. A title may only be submitted once and cannot be reconsidered the next year.][
* Audiobooks produced previously in another audio format are ineligible for consideration.][
* The audiobook is intended for either young adults or children, who are defined as persons up to and including age 18; works for this entire age range are to be considered. Adult titles are ineligible.][
* Audiobooks featuring single or full cast narration are eligible.][
* Audiobooks previously published in another country are eligible presuming they have also been distributed in the United States during the term of eligibility.][
* Only audiobooks produced in English are considered, but this requirement does not limit the use of words or phrases in another language where appropriate in context.][
* If no title is deemed sufficiently meritorious, no award will be given that year.][
* The chair, with assistance from designated ALSC or YALSA staff, is responsible for verifying the eligibility of all nominated titles.][
* The award will be presented to the producers of the audiobooks.][
]
Recipients
In each of the fifteen cycles to 2022, at least one title has been named an Honor Audiobook with five being the greatest number of Honors (2008, 2009, 2018) and one being the fewest (2016). Beginning in the 2022 award-year, two titles may be named Winners, one for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Children, and one for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Young Adults.
Multiple awards
Listening Library has won 5 awards and Live Oak Media and Harper have each won 3.
Katherine Kellgren
Katherine Ingrid Kellgren or Kjellgren (1969 – January 10, 2018)Ancestry.com. ''New York, New York, Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018'' atabase on-line Lehi, Utah, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. was an American actress, known f ...
is the narrator of the most Odyssey-honored titles at five Honor
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
Audiobooks, including three written by L. A. Meyer and produced by Listen & Live Audio — the first, second, and fourth Jacky Faber books.
Sherman Alexie
Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Spokane- Coeur d'Alene-Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from se ...
, author and narrator of the 2009 Odyssey Award-winning audiobook, ''The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
''The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian'' is a first-person narrative novel by Sherman Alexie, from the perspective of a Native American teenager, Arnold Spirit Jr., also known as "Junior", a 14-year-old promising cartoonist. The book is ...
'', also won the annual National Book Award for Young People's Literature for the print edition of that book (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2007).["National Book Awards – 2007"]
National Book Foundation (NBF). Retrieved 2012-04-15.
(With acceptance speech by Alexie, interview with Alexie, and other material, partly replicated for all five Young People's Literature authors and books.) Jarret J. Krosoczka, who wrote, illustrated, and narrated the 2020 Odyssey-winning audiobook ''Hey, Kiddo'', was a National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalist for the print edition.
See also
* :Audiobooks
Notes
References
{{ALA(library)
American children's literary awards
Awards established in 2008
American Library Association awards
Audiobook awards
English-language literary awards
Young adult literature awards