Children’s Books Ireland shortlisted in two categories in the Business to Arts Awards 2023
We’re delighted to once again be shortlisted for the Business to Arts Awards, together with our partners KPMG Ireland.
Running for over 30 years, the Awards is a flagship event on the corporate-cultural calendar. The Awards feature a range of categories that celebrate arts sponsorship, commissioning, philanthropy, staff engagement programmes, corporate social responsibility, access programmes, creative community initiatives, and more.
Children’s Books Ireland and KPMG are shortlisted under two award categories:
- Best Large Sponsorship – KPMG and Children's Books Ireland, Reading Heroes
- Best Long-term Partnership – KPMG and Children's Books Ireland, Reading Heroes
Reading Heroes
From a small World Book Day event in 2017 grew a multifaceted partnership, including two bespoke, school-based volunteer programmes and a major awards sponsorship, now entering its fourth year.
KPMG’s commitment to connecting their people to communities is clear: since 2018 we have run BOLD GIRLS, promoting gender equality through children’s books, and in 2021 developed its sister programme, Free To Be Me, promoting inclusion and representation. Both run annually in Dublin and Belfast, and include a donation of vibrant, inclusive, engaging books to schools in areas of disadvantage. Through Free To Be Me, BOLD GIRLS and the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards, we have given over 1,750 books to schools all over the island of Ireland who have expressed a need for support.
The KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards are the leading children’s book awards in Ireland, identifying, honouring and promoting excellence in books for young people by Irish authors and illustrators. In 2022, over 10,000 young readers took part in the KPMG Junior Juries programme, reading the shortlist and voting for their favourite in the KPMG Junior Juries Award.
Our newest programme, Books for Birdies, will combine KPMG’s sponsorship of the Women’s Irish Open and Brand Ambassador Leona Maguire with their commitment to getting children reading, donating books based on the number of birdies achieved by Maguire and others. This allows CBI to serve more disadvantaged schools who have applied for support with their libraries.
‘The constant evolution of this partnership over six years has been its great strength – KPMG has supported us across our awards, reading guides, book-gifting and more. Together, we keep seeking new opportunities to get children reading, and finding new ways to invest in their creative potential. We’re thrilled to have our partnership recognised in this year’s Business to Arts Awards, and can’t wait to see where else it will take the young readers of Ireland.’
– Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children's Books Ireland
The 2022 Business to Arts Awards will take place on Tuesday 12th September at the National Concert Hall.
A sincere thank you to our partners KPMG for their ongoing support and commitment to improving the lives of children across the island of Ireland.
