The following may be of interest. ----- Forwarded message from Jay Leventhal <jaylev at afb.net> ----- Contact: >Carrie L. Fernandez >Senior Communications Manager >American Foundation for the Blind >11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300 >New York, NY 10001 >Phone: (212) 502-7674 >Email: <mailto:cfernandez at afb.net>cfernandez at afb.net >www.afb.org > > >For more than 17 years, the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Awards >have honored excellence in the narration of Talking Books and celebrated >the importance of reading to so many lives. This year, AFB is implementing >changes to the Scourby Awards structure and process. Traditionally held on >a Monday night in June at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the 2004 >Scourby Awards will take place on Thursday, October 14, and will be a >web-based event. > > > >The Scourby Awards is such a beloved event, and we believe that moving the >ceremony online will reach a wider audience by enabling more people to >vote and participate. Our goals for this event, as always, are to ensure a >high standard in the quality of nominations, give greater attention to the >significant annual accomplishments made by Talking Books narrators, >enhance the involvement of agencies producing Talking Books and Talking >Books subscribers, and heighten the general public's awareness of the >importance of Talking Books for people who are blind or visually impaired. > > > >From August 16 to September 15, individuals may vote for their favorite >nominee in each of the Award categories. This year's special recognition >category is Multilingual Nonfiction, defined as a nonfiction work >primarily in English, but with a significant number of foreign-language >words, names, and/or phrases. > > > >A Blue-Ribbon panel consisting of individuals with vast expertise in >narration and audio books, such as previous Scourby Award recipients from >the various Talking Books studios, previous Scourby Award presenters, and >industry representatives is being developed to ensure that the nominees >are of the highest quality. > > > >We will keep you updated as the planning and nomination process moves >forward, but if you have any questions in the meantime please let me know. -- Janina Sajka, Director Technology Research and Development Governmental Relations Group American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Chair, Accessibility Workgroup Free Standards Group (FSG) Email: janina at afb.net Phone: (202) 408-8175
