NONFICTION AWARDS
By Susan Wroble
This past summer, my planned presentation on award-winning nonfiction books took a tangent. I realized that instead of award-winning books, what I really wanted to learn about was the nonfiction awards themselves. I knew about the Sibert Awards from the American Library Association but had no idea if there were any other KidLit nonfiction awards out there.
For authors, awards are one way to try to help give your book a longer life—and it turns out that there are other awards besides the Sibert. A LOT of others. I found 17 awards where, unlike the Sibert, the author or the publisher has some input into the nomination process. Some of my favorites of the nonfiction children’s awards include:
The Foundation for Agriculture Award from the American Farm Bureau. Their “Book of the Year Award” goes to
books that have accurate information about agriculture with a positive portrayal. Shannon Anderson’s delightful I LOVE STRAWBERRIES, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, is a fabulous example. And as a side note on this award, the Farm Bureau has its own publishing house, Feeding Minds Press. If you are working on a manuscript that pertains to agriculture in a broad sense, consider submitting it to Feeding Minds.
The AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. This prize is awarded in four different categories: children’s (PBs), middle grade, hands-on, and young adult. The criteria vary a bit by group, but in general must support the development of positive attitudes about learning about STEM topics. The books must be well-organized, with the scientific concepts accurately presented. One of the joys of this particular site is that it is very searchable, both by category and by year.
The Eureka! Children’s Nonfiction Book Awards from the California Reading Association carry a lot of weight—their list is a reference for librarians in other states and around the world. Awards are given to a lot of books: in 2023, there were 10 Gold Awards and 40 Honors Awards. The authors and illustrators do not need to be from California, and the list of what constitutes nonfiction is simple: everything that is not fiction. That means that this award is a great fit for harder categories like memoir or poetry, folktales or cookbooks.
You can access my “Awards for Children’s Nonfiction and STEM” spreadsheet here. The list is focused on awards that authors have some control over, and is organized by submission date. There may still be others out there that I missed. If you find additions or errors, please contact me. And best wishes on your own awards!
