The NYC Neighborhood Library Awards is the first awards program of its kind, and the largest cash prize awarded directly to branch libraries. The awards celebrate the unique ways that local libraries serve NYC’s diverse communities in the 21st century. New Yorkers can submit nominations from now until July 1 explaining how their local branch library meets the specific needs of their neighborhood and why it should win $10,000.

You can listen to Revson’s Julie Sandorf and Lincoln Center’s Reynold Levy discuss the need for such an award on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC here.

In 2011, New York City’s public libraries received 40.5 million visits, and library program attendance has increased 40 percent over the last decade (Branches of Opportunity, CUF). Given the changing economic environment, New York City’s libraries are constantly evolving to meet the needs of New Yorkers through new programs, classes, job resources, community events, and more. New Yorkers from all five boroughs are encouraged to nominate their local libraries through any of the public libraries’ websites at: www.bklynpubliclibrary.org, www.NYPL.org, and www.QueensLibrary.org.

The NYC Neighborhood Library Awards program is an independent awards program sponsored by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, in association with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show. A review committee will vet the nominations submitted by the public, and a panel of esteemed judges will select five winners. The panel of judges will include: the author R.L. Stine; Fatima Shama, NYC Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs; Kurt Andersen, author and host of WNYC’s Studio 360; and Carla Hayden, CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore and former president of the American Library Association (ALA). Winners will be announced in September 2013.

Download the press release here, and learn more about the awards on Twitter and Facebook.