"Designers, illustrators, typographers, printers, writers and publishers have collaborated to bring together words, images, type, paper and binding, to express themselves in these works of art," commented Leah Gordon, Alcuin Society Board member and Design Competition Committee Chair. "All the entries demonstrate that there's nothing like the look and feel of a well-designed book."

The fundamental principle of the judging process is that each book must be considered as a total entity. The judges examine every aspect of each book, including the dust jacket, binding, endpapers, half-title page, copyright page, title page, page layout, typography, integration of illustrations, chapter openings, running heads, reproduction of illustrations, clarity of printing, choice of paper, footnotes, and bibliographical references.

This year, the judges elected not to award some prizes. There were two categories this year (Prose Non-fiction and Reference) where a First prize was not awarded. Their purpose, as is ours, is to encourage the very best in Canadian design, and they feel that giving awards only where they see exceptional merit is the best way to achieve this goal. In some categories, the judges chose to award a Fourth prize in addition to, or instead of, Honourable mention. The Alcuin Society is grateful to the judges for volunteering their time and considerable talent:

• Frank Newfeld
• Alan Stein
• E.A. Hobart (Zab)