Public Can Vote For Their Favorites
Top Vote Getters Advance to the Jury Round Featuring Spectrum News NY1 Anchor Pat Kiernan and New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author NK Jemisin
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), New York Public Library (NYPL, serving Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island), and Queens Public Library (QPL) announced the launch of a book display contest setting up an intense competition between 100+ branches, who will compete for the top title of best display in the five boroughs.
The creative book displays are now on view in person and online. The public can vote at the culture pass website http://culturepass.nyc/book-display-contest until 5 p.m. on March 26.
After the public votes are tallied, a team of distinguished judges will determine the final winners who will receive cash prizes to use as they see fit at the branch. The judging panel includes Pat Kiernan, morning anchor, Spectrum News NY1; N.K. Jemisin, New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author, and a recipient of a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship; Katie Yamasaki, muralist and children’s book artist; Dylan Thuras, co-founder, Atlas Obscura; and Martha King, senior program officer, The Charles H. Revson Foundation.
This year’s theme, The Creative City, pays homage to the city of New York and the inspiration it has provided for generations of writers, artists, and performers. The contest is the latest initiative from Culture Pass, a program to make quality arts and culture programming accessible and free of charge to New Yorkers. Launched in 2018, Culture Pass has provided more than 200,000 passes to library cardholders allowing them to access more than 80 museums, theaters and other cultural institutions for free.
“We’re excited to highlight the display design skills of staff at libraries across the city once again through this year’s contest. It’s such a fun way to highlight the access to the arts that Culture Pass makes possible for New Yorkers, while also celebrating the creativity of the people who work hard every day to serve their branch communities,” said Culture Pass Manager Brendan Crain. “If you see a Culture Pass at your local branch, give the staff a round of applause!”
To date, Culture Pass has provided more than 200,000 free passes to museums, gardens, historical societies, performance venues, and other cultural institutions. For more details on Culture Pass and to access passes, please visit culturepass.nyc.
Culture Pass is made possible through generous funding from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. As a leader in developing modern 21st-century libraries, we provide resources to support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.7 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We provide nearly 60,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.
About The New York Public Library
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library (QPL) transforms lives by cultivating personal and intellectual growth and by building strong communities. It is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country.
An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5.4 million books and other materials in 200 languages, technology, and digital resources. Prior to the pandemic, the Library hosted more than 87,500 educational, cultural, and civic programs annually and welcomed 11.4 million visitors through its doors.
Nearly every Queens resident lives within a mile of QPL’s 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology center located in the nation’s largest public housing complex, two teen centers, two bookmobiles, and a book bicycle. For more information, visit www.queenslibrary.org.