June 1, 1999

Share your mountain tales!

The 1999 Banff Mountain Book Festival is looking for words - and images - that leap from the page. The 6^th annual festival is seeking entries for its international mountain book competition. The event is presented by Canadian Mountain Holidays and will be held November 3-7, 1999 at The Banff Centre.

The festival, the only one of its kind in North America, is a celebration of mountain literature that brings together writers, publishers, editors, photographers and - of course - readers. Featuring guest speakers, readings, seminars, a book fair, book signings and launches, the festival offers a wide spectrum of experiences for the participants. An international jury will judge the submissions for awards in four categories including Mountain Literature, Mountain Exposition, Mountain Image, and Adventure Travel. In addition, they will select the best overall book, regardless of category. Grand Prize winner in 1998 was World Mountaineering: The World's Greatest Mountains by the World's Greatest Mountaineers, Audrey Salkeld, editor (U.K.).

Submissions must be in English, except in the category of Mountain Image, where submissions in all languages are acceptable. Seven copies of each submission must be received at the festival office in Banff by August 16. Two of these copies will be retained for The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture Archives.

Special guests in 1999 include Wade Davis, Terry Tempest Williams, Jack Tackle, Paul Pritchard, Ed Douglas and Sid Marty.

The Banff Mountain Book Festival is presented by The Centre for Mountain Culture which promotes understanding and appreciation of the world's mountain places by creating opportunities for the international mountain community to share their experiences, ideas and visions.

Debra Hornsby, Marketing and Communications Manager,
  Mountain Culture, The Banff Centre
phone: 403-762-6446, fax: 403-762-6277,
email: debra_hornsby@banffcentre.ca
Web site: www.banffmountainfestivals.ca

The 6th Annual Banff Mountain Book Festival,
Presented by Canadian Mountain Holidays and Volvo.
Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, Patagonia and Ericsson
with assistance from the Alpine Club of Canada, the Banff Book & Art Den
The Mountaineers Books, Discovery Books/Random House and Mountainzone.com