PRESS RELEASE 19 July 2016 New award supports the joy of reading Being able to read opens many doors in life – just like not being able to read and write closes many doors. The $10,000 Systematic – Joy of Reading Award supports innovative projects that promote the joy of reading. Illiteracy is a global problem. The Systematic – Joy of Reading Award, worth $10,000, is awarded to projects that promote the joy of reading and fight illiteracy. People with passion can make a difference to people challenged by illiteracy, and Systematic wishes to support fighting this global challenge. We want to support projects and initiatives that help people to learn to read - even if their local community does not provide adequate support. Goals in life Being able to read opens many doors in life and the joy of reading is probably the most important driver to secure that we become good readers. If the reading ability is not obtained a number of doors leading to desirable goals will remain closed or at least very difficult to open. In the UN 2030 Agenda, to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning are important goals. “Together with Systematic we look forward to seeing the different ways reading can be elevated into people’s lives.” Rolf Hapel, Director, Aarhus Public Libraries. “Illiteracy is a global problem and the libraries and enthusiasts play a key role in supporting universal literacy with education, enlightenment and knowledge. We want to recognise organisations and projects that make a difference with innovative initiatives that encourage people to read and thereby meet the global challenge. It goes hand in hand with Systematics’ aim to make a difference within the society.” Michael Holm, founder and CEO of Systematic. The award The award is established by the IT-company Systematic in collaboration with Next Library. An international jury will assess the incoming applications and choose the nominees and winner. The winner will be invited to Next Library 11-14 June 2017, in Aarhus, Denmark, to receive the prize and present the winning project. HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, founder of the Reading and Writing Foundation, will hand over the Award. Next Library is an international gathering of forward-thinking library professionals, innovators and decision-makers who are pushing boundaries to support learning. For more information, please visit: https://systematic.com/library-learning/ Winning criterias • Joy of reading has to be an important part of the initiative • The effect of the initiative has to be documented – e.g. by number of people reached, level of reading and documentation by either case stories or research • The initiative must make use of innovative methods and/or thinking • The initiative has to be up and running for at least two years For more information, please contact Rolf Hapel ([email protected]) or Martin Brøchner-Mortensen ([email protected]) Søren Frichs Vej 39 8000 Aarhus C. +4589432000 www.systematic.com About Systematic Group Systematic A/S, established in 1985, develops software and system solutions to customers in both the public and private sector. Today, the company is the largest privately owned software company in Denmark with solutions sold to customers in 47 countries. More than 100,000 people worldwide use Systematics products. The company has 525+ employees and is headquartered in Aarhus with offices in Copenhagen, Germany, USA, UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, United, Arab Emirates, Finland and Sweden. About Next Library A NEXT LIBRARY® event is an international gathering of forward-thinking library professionals, innovators and decision-makers who are pushing boundaries and making changes that support learning in the 21st century. Created by Denmark’s Aarhus Public Libraries and first presented in 2009, the purpose of a NEXT LIBRARY® event is to look ahead and explore the continuously evolving nature of the public library in the 21st century. NEXT LIBRARY® is more than a conference; it is a community that has grown to nearly 940 library leaders and innovators from around the world. The NEXT LIBRARY® global kaleidoscope includes Australia, Austria, Bhutan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Columbia, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, New Zealand, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, USA and Vietnam. Søren Frichs Vej 39 8000 Aarhus C. +4589432000 www.systematic.com .