2025 Contest

We look forward to reviewing your entries for the 2025 Book Collecting Contest. Take time to evaluate your book collections over winter break, and to review these guidelines, then enter the 2025 Book Collecting Contest by completing the submission form linked below.

Guidelines

We love books. You love books, and we know that you have personal book collections that are focused on a theme or topic. Share your interest, and your collection, by entering the Greenfield Library book-collecting contest. Current SJCA students, faculty, and staff are eligible to enter, as well as faculty & staff spouses / partners.

All submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Friday January 17^th, 2025

Each entrant is limited to a single submission which should include 10 or more books.

All items in the collection must be owned and collected by the entrant.

Collections may contain hardbacks and paperbacks.

Collections must be based on a unifying principle that has personal significance to you. This personal significance should be explained in the brief bibliographic essay.

The theme of your collection can be broad or narrow. Some examples include:

• books on a particular topic,
• signed books,
• books with elaborate bindings,
• books in a specific genre,
• books with a particular purpose - such as travel books or cook books,
• books for a specific audience such as children’s books,
• illustrated books connected by a theme, audience, or artist
• books published by a specific press
• books written by a particular author.

This should not be considered an exhaustive or limiting list. You should enter any collection unified by a theme that can be explained in the brief bibliographic essay.

Collections do not need to consist of rare materials and will not be judged on dollar value or size.

Awardees will be required to loan at least 10 books of their choice to the Greenfield Library for the Book Collecting Contest exhibit, opening in February 2025.

Prizes

There are monetary prizes for the entries that place first and second in the contest. In addition, the first-place honoree is encouraged to enter the National Collegiate Book-Collecting Contest.

Submission Form

To enter the Greenfield Library’s 2025 book-collecting contest, please fill out the contest submission form as completely as possible, and upload a combined essay / bibliography in word or PDF format.

The upload should comprise both an annotated bibliography of 10+ items from your collection, and a brief typewritten essay of up to two pages highlighting the following:

• how the collection was started
• why the collection was started
• items of greatest interest
• the personal or other significance of the collection

This file should be titled identically to the title entered in question 2 of the submission form and should NOT include your name.

View some sample entries:

• 2018 first-place entry: From the Pen to the Pen by Angel Pantoja
• 2022 first-place entry: Books about Words by Magnolia Vandiver

Questions

Please email greenfield.library(at)sjc.edu for more details or with questions.

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your entries.