Earlier this year, EBSCO partnered with the Graphic Novel Committee of the Children’s Book Council to launch the SEE-IT Award to recognize the cultural and literary impact of youth graphic novels. An acronym for Stories Engagingly Expressed—Illustratively Told, the SEE-IT Award recognizes outstanding achievement by authors and illustrators in delivering a graphics-driven reading experience that story-lovers of all ages have found hard to resist.

A total of 56 submissions were evaluated by the jury of seven librarians selected to judge this year’s entries. Each juror submitted their individual list of finalists based on the following criteria:

• Literary quality
• Interweaving of art and story
• Lasting impact and distinguished contributions to the format and youth literature
• An audience range of K-12, or young readers through young adult

Blending dazzling illustrations with compelling stories, the six top-scoring finalists for this year’s award include:

• The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis
• Light by Rob Cham
• March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
• The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks and Jordie Bellaire
• Rendez-vous in Phoenix by Tony Sandoval
• Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan

The final winner will be announced at the 2017 ALA Annual Conference in June… this weekend!  Wish us luck!