The Georgia Writers Association (GWA) announces the call for nominations for the 48th Annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA).

The Georgia Writers Association (GWA) announces the call for nominations for the 48th Annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA). All Georgia resident authors with books published in the calendar year of 2011 are eligible for the competition. The books can be traditionally published, independently published or self-published. Book categories include 3 Fiction categories, 6 Nonfiction categories and 2 Children’s book categories. Nominations will close on January 31, 2012. The winners of the 48th GAYA will be honored at an Awards Ceremony on June 16th 2012, at the Kennesaw State University Center.

An important part of the GAYA Awards Ceremony is the announcement of the GWA Lifetime Achievement Awards. Mr. Terry Kay, one of Georgia’s premier writers was recognized at last year’s GAYA celebration. The Executive Director of GWA, Margaret Walters, said, “we were honored to have Terry Kay come and deliver an acceptance speech that included his message about the importance of educating our young people about Georgia’s writers. Terry’s speech was inspirational to the writers in attendance and to the Georgia Writers Association, which plans to begin bringing such education into our public schools.”

The Georgia Author of the Year Awards showcases and honors the work of new and seasoned Georgia writers. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the writing life.

Guidelines and nomination criteria are available at www.georgiawriters.org. Nominations must be submitted online. After submitting online, applications must be completed with both a hard copy portion (two copies of the book for each category it is nominated in) and an electronic portion (the application, head shots, book cover jpeg). Nominations will not be considered without all required materials. Any questions about the application process can be directed to Lisa Russell at 770-420-4736. Hard copy portions should be mailed to Georgia Writers Association, 1000 Chastain Road #2701, Kennesaw, GA 30144. The electronic portion of the application (head shots and book covers)should be emailed to lmrussell@georgiawriters.org.