MLA-EBSCO Collaboration for Information Literacy Prize

There is a call for submissions for the Modern Language Association-EBSCO Collaboration for Information Literacy Prize There are up to two annual awards of $500 each for coursework developed in collaboration between department faculty members and academic librarians in literature, language, or related disciplines. Deadline for submissions is 1 July 2026. It looks like you can make submissions from any country.
"The award recognizes successful integration of the disciplinary objectives of the course with learning objectives in information literacy, as defined in the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education." Submissions should relate to teaching in the current or previous calendar year.
More information at https://www.mla.org/Resources/Career/MLA-Grants-and-Awards/MLA-EBSCO-Collaboration-for-Information-Literacy-Prize
Photo by Sheila Webber: flowers in Mason's Regency china, May 2026

Information Literacy award winners #LILAC26

The winners the Information Literacy Award 2026 (sponsored by the Information Literacy Group and the UCL Department of Information Studies) were announced during the LILAC conference on Monday. They were Siobhan Corrin and Katie Roper from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. They had been nominated for the Lancashire Health Hub: a collaborative approach to reliable health information.
Information about all the nominees is here https://www.lilacconference.com/awards/information-literacy-award
They are pictured with the judges: Dr Konstantina Martzoukou, Elizabeth Newell and Emma Brown.

Call for nominations: Information Literacy Award and Student Award

Nominations for the Information Literacy Award and Student Award are now open. The closing date for both awards is 6 February 2026 at 17:00 GMT sharp. 
- Information Literacy Award. This is sponsored by the CILIP Information Literacy Group and the UCL Department of Information. 
"The award is open to all practitioners, researchers and academics working in the IL field within the UK. Nominations must demonstrate impact, innovation, initiative, and originality in one or more of the following areas: Raising the profile of IL within an organisation/ community or sector; Initiating or contributing to national, regional, or local projects/ initiatives which enhance IL skills for an identified client group(s); Developing a digital resource (e.g., online course, service, product, or app) which develops and enhances IL skills; Undertaking original research in the field of IL and making a significant contribution to the literature" 
Nominations may be from any sector, from individuals or teams, and you can self-nominate or nominate others. 
More info at https://www.lilacconference.com/awards/information-literacy-award.  

- Rowena Macrae-Gibson Student Award. This provides a sponsored place at the LILAC conference for two students registered on a UK study programme. The award includes a full conference place, including social events, and reasonable UK travel and accommodation expenses up to the value of £250. Full-time or part-time students (including distance-learners) can apply, providing they are registered for a UK-based first degree or taught postgraduate qualification in information/ library studies or information literacy (IL). 
More info at https://www.lilacconference.com/awards/student-sponsored-places. 
Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas tree thrown out, no. 3 (hiding behind the lavender bush), January 2026

Last chance for LILAC conference bursaries!

The Academic and Research Libraries Group (ARLG) is funding 2 bursaries for the LILAC conference, one for a Further Education libraran and one for a Higher Education librarian. Closing date is 21 November 2025.
The bursaries will include three days at the conference and social events. They also include up to £250 in expenses for reasonable travel and accommodation. To apply for the ARLG bursaries you must be a current CILIP member - if selected, you will be asked to provide your membership details to confirm this.
You apply via the LILAC conference website https://www.lilacconference.com/register You need to register for the LILAC conference site (or login if you are already registered - if you attended LILAC in the past few years you will be already registered).
(1) Register / Login
(2) Select MY ACCOUNT
(3) Scroll down the page to "Bursary applications are now open and will close on 21 November 2025" where the individual bursaries are listed.

The LIRT Librarian Recognition Award

The ALA Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) is calling for nominations for the LIRT Librarian Recognition Award (which recognises a practicing librarian's contributions to information literacy education) and the LIRT Innovation in Instruction Award (presented to a library for its innovative approach to information literacy education). Submissions can be from any type of library. 
Winners will receive a US $1,500 award for Librarian recognition or US $2,000 for Innovation in Instruction and  US $1,000 stipend to be used to attend the 2026 ALA Annual Conference. Deadline is 15 January 2026. 
You can self-nominate for either award, and it does not say that the awards are restricted to people/libraries in the USA (though all the ones listed from 2014 were in the USA - but perhaps there weren't enough applicants from elsewhere!) 
Full information at http://www.ala.org/rt/lirt/awards
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn leaves, October 2025

Media literacy in Northern Ireland with adults and young people: opportunity to tender

Ofcom is seeking tenders for work developing Media literacy in Northern Ireland with adults and young people.
They have split this into two seprate projects: Media literacy activities for adults in Northern Ireland and Media literacy activities for children and young people in Northern Ireland, although the successful bidders will be expected to work together. Opportunities for libraries, I think!
There is a webinar on 21 August 2025, 11.00-12.00 BST, to provide contextual information for organisations considering applying for either or both tenders. Work would start in October 2025, initially for a year with the possibility of a 2 year extension. This is part of Ofcom's media literacy strategy.
The notice for Media literacy activities for adults in Northern Ireland is here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046981-2025
The notice for Media literacy activities for children and young people in Northern Ireland is here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047904-2025
Registration for the webinar is here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/051e4052-8390-4939-8851-44cd6b7c5b37@0af648de-310c-4068-8ae4-f9418bae24cc

Library Juice Press Annual Paper Contest

The Library Juice Press Annual Paper Contest 2025 has been announced. A number of past winners have addressed information literacy topics. The deadline for submission is 1 September 2025. "The intention of this contest is to encourage and reward good work in the field of library and information studies, humanistically understood, through a monetary award and public recognition. The contest is open to librarians, library students, academics, and others."
"Papers submitted may be pending publication or published (formally or informally) within the past year. Unpublished papers are acceptable if they are publicly accessible (informally published) and written in the past year." The item must not report empirical findings.
For more information go to https://litwinbooks.com/grants-and-awards/paper-contest
Photo by Sheila Webber: Edge of Blackheath pond, July 2025

Olivier Le Deuff

Dr Olivier Le Deuff, French researcher into information literacy and documentation (Université Bordeaux Montaigne, France), has been nominated to l’Institut Universitaire de France More information here: https://www.u-bordeaux-montaigne.fr/fr/actualites/distinctions/olivier-le-deuff-nomme-a-l-institut-universitaire-de-france.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: Olivier (in red near the middle) with other delegates at the Information Science Trends conference in Uppsala, June 2023

Information Literacy award winner: Rebecca Mogg #LILAC25

Winner of the Information Literacy Group's Information Literacy Award 2025 (announced at the LILAC conference this week) is Rebecca Mogg, Cardiff University, Wales, for her work in diversity and impact of information literacy. "The Information Literacy Award recognises an outstanding UK-based practitioner or researcher" and there is more information here: https://www.lilacconference.com/awards/information-literacy-award
Photo by Sheila Webber: scattered cherry blossom petals, Cardiff, April 2025

Karen Blakeman wins Jason Farradane Award

Belatedly, I congratulate Karen Blakeman as the worthy winner of the UK electronic information Group (UKeiG)'s  international Jason Farradane Award for 2024 (it was announced in December). The Jason Farradane Award is presented in recognition of an outstanding, creative and enterprising contribution to the library, information and knowledge profession. The award is named for Dr Jason Farradane, who was a key founding figure in Information Science in the United Kingdom. Karen's nominators said that "Her influence through consultancy and professional development has been invaluable in the rapidly changing world of information retrieval and research skills. She is indisputably a distinguished, influential and inspirational figure, facilitating the effective use of information resources in a digital world." There is more information at https://www.cilip.org.uk/members/group_content_view.asp?group=201314&id=752351
Photo: Karen Blakeman (2011, March 30) Newcastle Royal Station Hotel Chandel(6). https://flic.kr/p/9uFFah CC BY-NC 2.0

Call for nominations: Annual Best Publication Award

There is a call for nominations (implied is self-nomination) for the Institute for Information Literacy (Purdue University, USA) Annual Best Publication Award.  The deadline for nominations is 31 December 2024. Publications may include journal articles, book chapters, and published proceedings, and should have been published in 2024.
"Researchers, educators, and practitioners with recent publications exploring and expanding the role of information literacy in navigating societal information challenges are eligible" The award consists of a US $1,000 award to extend their research, being featured as an invited speaker at the Institute’s annual ID:EALS symposium, and being invited to serve on next year’s Best Publication Award committee.
"The Institute’s Best Publication Award highlights excellence in information literacy scholarship that 1) justifies the relevance of an information challenge, 2) demonstrates development or enhancement of information literacy models or techniques, and 3) supports individuals, communities, or organizations in using information wisely or combating the misuse of information."
More info at  https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSz9q7Fms6chX6JMLdk6c0vsemlJB9TlH0C2XVQE7IK1KDxY_pYCGnI_JMaUAJgQ3eN7gIRlJnJZ3bH/pub?urp=gmail_link

#LILAC2025 conference bursaries

Applications are open for bursaries for the LILAC 2025 (information literacy) conference taking place in-person 14–16 April 2025 at Cardiff University, Wales. To apply for a bursary, you must be a librarian, volunteer, or information professional working in the UK. Applications close on 22 November 2024 at 17.00 GMT. There are two kinds of bursary.
- LILAC Bursaries. There are 5 free places for people in the following under-represented groups in the UK: Ethnic minority backgrounds; School libraries; Further Education; Public libraries; Health libraries (e.g. NHS – please note; librarians working in Higher Education who support health subjects are not eligible to apply). The bursary includes three days at the conference and social events. They also include up to £250 in expenses for reasonable travel and accommodation.
- Local to LILAC Bursaries. There are 6 bursaries. "These bursaries are day delegate places, and we are offering two places for each day of the three-day conference. ... intended for people who live or work near to the LILAC venue, to have the chance to attend a day at LILAC and experience what the conference offers. Each of the six bursaries will involve a free day place to one day of the conference and £50 for reasonable travel expenses. " They include food/refreshments on the day, but not social events.
For more details go to https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-2025/bursaries-1

Award winners: Esther Grassian and the state of New Jersey

The Universal Information Literacies Association (UiLA), Washington, DC USA has announced that the 2024 UiLA Paul G. Zurkowski Esquire US Individual and State Award winners are Esther Grassian, "distinguished librarian emerita at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) for playing a pivotal role in advancing Information Literacy instruction for over two decades and the state of New Jersey, USA, for being the first state in the nation to pass bipartisan legislation requiring K-12 schools to teach information literacy." Congratulations in particular to Esther Grassian, who has indeed made a great contribution to IL.
"This announcement coincides with the 50th anniversary of the launching of IL by Zurkowski in November 1974 and the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Presidential Proclamation designating October as Information Literacy Awareness Month. As part of the proclamation former president Barack Obama stated that, 'An informed and educated citizenry is essential to the functioning of our modern democratic society.'"  The UiLA website is here https://uilaz.info/
The press release photo shows the certificates and accompanying individual press releases

#LILAC24 Award winners & 50 years in 50 seconds

Sheila here - my thanks to @ischoolpam Pam McKinney for her great liveblogging from LILAC. To finish up, I'll mention the joint winners of the Information Literacy award (announced at the conference dinner): the Data Education in Schools team at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, for their Learning with Data - Data Education in Schools programme (the website is here https://dataschools.education/) and the Digital Learning Practice Team at the University of the Arts, London, UK (the website is here https://12daysofai.myblog.arts.ac.uk/) 

Also, a reminder about the CILIP Information Literacy Group's 50 Years of Information Literacy in 50 Seconds! campaign, which ends on 3 May 2024.
"We would like contributors to send us a 50 second video about Information Literacy, all of which we will edit into celebratory montage for our YouTube channel and other social media platforms. All entrants will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three Facet books on Information Literacy! As part of your video, we’d like you to consider one or more of the following questions: What does IL mean to you? What do you think have been the key developments in IL over the last 50 years? Where will information literacy be in another 50 years? Please film your video in landscape format and email to cilipilg@gmail.com by Friday, May 3rd 2024"

Global Media and Information Literacy Award winners 2023

The winners of the UNESCO-sponsored Global Media and Information Literacy Awards 2023 have been announced. They recognise excellence and leadership in five sectors: Education, Research, Policy, Advocacy, Media and Communication/Information Industries. Congratulations to all!
1st Prize: Mr. Felipe Chibas Ortiz, Brazil and Ms. Irene Andriopoulou, Greece
2nd Prize: Mr. Jose Reuben Q. Alagaran, Philippines and Ofcom, UK
3rd Prize: Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), Ms. Aichurek Usupbaeva, Kyrgyzstan and Mr. Shawky Salem, Egypt.
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI

Awards for Media Literacy - call for nominations

There is a call for entries for the Voices Awards 2024 associated with the First European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy, Voices, which takes place in Florence, Italy, on 15-16 March 2024. Deadline for nominations is 31 January 2024. There are five awards for Journalism and five for Media Literacy: each receives1000 euros to attend the Festival. Information on the media literacy awards is here https://voicesfestival.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Call-for-entries_Voices-Awards_MediaLiteracy.pdf.
Also, the event itself (in a rather lovely venue) is free for the first to register. No programme as yet, but interesting organisations involved.

Two sponsored places at #LILAC24

The CILIP Information Literacy Group offers the Rowena Macrae-Gibson Student Award which provides a sponsored place at the LILAC (Information Literacy) conference taking place in Leeds, UK, 25-27 March 2024. Closing date is 2 February 2024 17.00 UK time. The are awards for two students, who must be registered for a UK-based first degree or taught postgraduate qualification in information/library studies or information literacy (IL). The award includes a full conference place, including social events, and UK travel and accommodation expenses up to the value of £250. Full-time or part-time students can apply (including distance-learners).
More info at https://www.lilacconference.com/awards/student-sponsored-places

Applications invited for Information Literacy Award

The CILIP Information Literacy Group and the Information School at the University of Sheffield are again offering an award for achievement in the field of information literacy (IL).
It is open to individuals or teams based in the United Kingdom: practitioners, researchers or academics. Nominations will close on 2 February 2024 at 17:00 UK time. The winner will receive £500 for personal use and £500 for their nominated charity.
"Nominations must demonstrate impact, innovation, initiative and originality in one or more of the following areas [there has to be evidence of impact etc. in the last three years]:
- Raising the profile of IL within an organisation / community or sector
- Initiating or contributing to national, regional or local projects / initiatives which enhance IL skills for an identified client group(s)
- Developing a digital resource (e.g. online course, service, product or app) which develops and enhances IL skills
- Undertaking original research in the field of IL and making a significant contribution to the literature.
"There should be evidence that the nominated individual or team is committed to sharing knowledge and expertise and/or disseminating their learning and/or research within their organisation and beyond."
You can self-nominate or be nominated by colleagues.You can submit a written nomination or a video.
More information at https://www.lilacconference.com/awards/information-literacy-award
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI with prompt - new year greetings, warm colours, cats, happy

#LILAC24 bursaries

Bursaries for the LILAC24 information literacy conference (25-27 March 2024 in Leeds, UK) are available for CILIP (UK) Yorkshire & Humberside members. Applications close on 8 January 2024. There are 2 bursaries (One full conference pass and one one-day pass) for members residing or working in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
They prioritise: Individuals who have not previously attended a multi-day national/international conference; Individuals from groups underrepresented and/or marginalised in the library and information profession, including (but not limited to): LGBTQIA+, disabled and neurodivergent applicants, and applicants from BAME backgrounds; Student members; New professionals (less than 5 years' experience); Members who earn below £23,000 per annum or are unwaged.
Full info at https://www.cilip.org.uk/members/group_content_view.asp?group=201296&id=1020639.
Photo by Sheila Webber: inside the Rodin museum, November 2023

Call for Proposals: Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue research grants

The Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue University, USA, is offering five $4,000 two-year Research Grants. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2023. The Institute will fund research projects that examine complex information challenges within select contexts and aim to develop or enhance information literacy models that enable people to successfully navigate and contribute to today’s information environment. The Institute supports and shares innovative, community- or context-specific information literacy research (i.e. healthcare, social media, publishing).
"As information literacy is interdisciplinary by nature, projects that demonstrate a substantive collaboration between research from different fields (such as psychology or political science and information studies) will be prioritized for funding. ... priority will be given to projects that focus on effective information practices applied in a range of contexts and communities. This is offered with support from the Esther Ellis Norton Endowment. ... Projects should aim to inform the development or enhancement of an information literacy model or technique that supports individuals, communities, or organizations in using information wisely."
Applicants need to submit a 2-3 page proposal including project title, team members (including their expertise in subjects relevant to the proposed project), budget information, a statement of benefits for stakeholders, alignment with Institute research award priorities, expected budget and justification, and references cited.
There should also be a 2-page CV for each project team member. "Successful proposals will clearly define the need to examine the particular information challenge in the proposed context and how they aim to carry out the research using an award from the Institute.They should email InstituteIL@purdue.edu with the subject line “IILP Research Grant Proposal”.
Full information at https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Jff2sv-H-ujgRzTb65TIcFcl5S3fe03/edit#heading=h.vkpzmyo9bys0
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn falling, November 2023