When
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Banquet - $40.00/person
6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M.
Ceremony and Book Signing - Free
7:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.
50th Annual
Georgia Author of the Year Awards Banquet
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA), the oldest literary award in the southeast. The Awards, first held by the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists in 1964 in honor of Georgia writers, has been hosted by the Georgia Writers Association (GWA) since 1994. As the awards have grown in prestige and participation, categories have been added or modified to include a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. The Posthumous Achievement Award, a new addition in 2013, and the Lifetime Achievement Award seek to honor exceptional efforts of Georgia’s past and present authors.
This year, 108 Georgia authors in 11 categories have been nominated! Click here for a full list of the nominees. One winner and one finalist for each category will be announced at the GAYA ceremony on June 7, 2014. The banquet and ceremony will be held in the Ballroom (room 400) of the Kennesaw State University Continuing Education Center, 3333 Busbee Drive, Kennesaw, Georgia.
Tickets for the banquet are $40.00 each and include a seated, three-course meal and two wine vouchers (per adult, 21 and over). Wine vouchers will be distributed at sign-in. The ceremony, which will begin after the banquet, is free and open to the public. Please continue reading for further information.
Banquet
Once you complete the banquet registration form, you will receive an email confirmation. In addition, the number of purchased tickets will be mailed to the address listed on the form. You must present the mailed tickets at sign-in to gain entrance to the banquet. Sign-in will begin at 6:00 PM, and the banquet will begin at 6:30 PM.
Menu
Caprese Salad
Seating
Seats are arranged in the order the tickets are purchased. The sooner you purchase tickets, the closer to the front you will be. However, the first row of tables, those closest to the stage, will be reserved for nominees and their families.
Ceremony
The Ceremony is free and open to the public and does not require registration. If you do not wish to purchase tickets to the banquet, the ballroom doors will open at 7:30 PM to ceremony guests. Please note that if you do not have a banquet ticket, you will be unable to enter the ballroom before 7:30 PM.