The Irish Book Awards burst onto the literary scene when, in 2006, Hughes & Hughes opted to expand the reach and influence of their widely-acclaimed Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Prize.
This first wave of expansion added to the sponsors roster, The Dublin Airport Authority, who sponsored a new children's award and Argosy Independent Book Wholesalers, who sponsored a new nonfiction prize.
In 2007, a second wave of expansion augmented the range of categories to nine with major new sponsors in Galaxy, Club Energise, Easons, and RTE's The Tubridy Show all coming on board. And, for the first time, all Irish bookshops participated in the Awards promotion.
New voting procedures were also established in 2007 whereby Ireland's booksellers voted to select the shortlists. Later, in 2008, Irish librarians were included in the voting process.
This year, the eventual winners will be chosen from the shortlists -- Lifetime Achievement excepted -- through a combination of public voting and the votes of the Irish Literary Academy.
In 2009, we unfortunately lost one sponsor in Galaxy but gained a new one in Ireland AM who have taken on the sponsorship of the Irish Crime Fiction Award. Now in 2010, we have secured a headline sponsor in Bord Gáis Energy, a dynamic and immensely popular Irish brand committed to
promoting the native passion for reading. Please also note that the 2010 Awards have moved from their traditional sprng date to November 2010. Here's to an exciting new chapter for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards!
ILA
Forgive us the grandiose title - we have no intention of usurping Aosdana - but the Irish Literary Academy is a newish formation consisting of around 100 individuals connected in some way to the book business including authors, publishers, booksellers, journalists, academics, critics, and reviewers. Each year, members are sent a ballot paper of the shortlisted titles and invited to select their winners.
The academy concept is, of course, the modus operandi of The Oscars and of our colleagues in the UK who have used this method very successfully in the massively-successful British Book Awards. And for those nostalgists who hanker for the convocation of elite experts passionately deliberating in smoke-filled rooms, consider the reading workloads, the necessary subjectivity of panels, and the advance of democracy. Or, as one recently-inducted member responded "I have instructed the wife and kids that I now belong to an Academy and they'd better start treating me with due respect."
For all these reasons, we reckon that the Irish Literary Academy will thrive and prosper in the years ahead delivering us worthy winners time after time.