Literary Contests - Childrens Books

Agatha Awards

The Agatha Awards honor the traditional, "cozy" mystery. That is to say, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. Agatha Awards are given for materials first published in the United States by a living author during the calendar year 2014 (January 1-December 31), either in hardcover, as a...

Gaithersburg, MD   US

Alberta Book Awards

The Alberta Book Publishing Awards are presented by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.Categories include: Children’s Books, Scholarly and Academic Books, Trade Fiction, Trade Non-Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Poetry and Editorial Excellence. To enter, publishers must have its chief o...

Edmonton, AB   CA

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, named to honor prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton (1912-2005), is a yearly award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to the author of an outstanding young adult or middle grad...

Enfield, CT   US

Ann Connor Brimer Award

Awarded for a book of fiction or non-fiction written by a living, full-time resident of Atlantic Canada that is readily available in print and that was published and/or distributed for the first time in Canada in the two years prior to and including the submission deadline. Because this award altern...

Halifax, NS   CA

ARA Historical Novel Prize

With prize money of $100,000, the ARA Historical Novel Prize gives Australian and New Zealand historical novelists the chance to be recognised in a class of their own, with the most significant prize purse for any genre-based prize in Australasia. The 2021 Prize will now incorporate a newly created ...

Sydney, NSW   AU

Aurealis Awards

Any work of speculative fiction written by an Australian citizen or permanent resident and published for the first time during the calendar year is eligible to be entered.

Works must be published and available to the general public to be eligible. This includes self-published works. Unpublished ma...

Karabar , NSW   AU

BC and Yukon Book Prizes

The BC Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers. The prizes are for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, regional, children’s and illustrated children’s literature.

The seven Prizes are presented annually at the Lieutenant Gover...

Vancouver, BC   CA

Black Voices in Childrens Literature

The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. As always, the contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children's stories written by and about Black people. Every entry is consi...

Minneapolis, MN   US

Blue Ridge Mountains CWC Directors Choice Awards

Past and present attendees of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference are eligible to submit their published work to this contest. ...

Ridgecrest, NC   US

Blueberry Award

The Blueberry Award. The Blueberry Award honors the best children's books for 3 - 10 years olds published last year that inspire a love of nature and action for the planet. ...

Evanston, IL   US

Book Excellence Awards

The Book Excellence Awards (www.bookexcellenceawards.com) is an international book awards competition. The Book Excellence Awards is dedicated to helping authors and publishers increase their visibility, credibility and book sales through extended support and resources on topics such as publis...

Toronto, ON   CA

Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards

The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards are a set of industry-recognition awards set up by a coalition of Irish booksellers in 2007. The awards are owned by Irish Book Awards Ltd, a not-for-profit company presided over by a board comprising representatives from founding members Eason & Son Ltd, Ar...

,   IE

Branford Boase Award

The BBA rewards the most promising new writers and their editors. The award is made annually to the most promising book by a first time novelist.

The author may have published other books in another genre - for example, poetry or a picture book - but eligibility for the prize requires that this is...

Hants ,   UK

British Book Awards

The British Book Awards, or Nibbies, is the definitive event for honouring the commercial successes of publishers, authors and bookshops. It succeeds 2016’s British Book Industry Awards.

There have been many notable winners over the years. Faber was the first publisher of the year in 1990 and in...

London,   UK

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. ...

Chicago, IL   US

CALIBA Golden Poppy Awards

The members of CALIBA present The Golden Poppy Book Awards to recognize the most distinguished books written by writers and artist who make California their home. The Golden Poppies are given for books published in the following categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Cooking & Food, Mystery, Romance,...

Campbell, CA   US

California Book Awards

The Commonwealth Club of California's California Book Awards is one of the oldest and most prestigious literary award programs in the US. It has various categories including Fiction, First Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Young Adult and Juvenile. Since 1931, they have recognized California writers...

San Francisco, CA   US

Canadian Science Writers' Association Book Awards

Each year the Canadian Science Writers' Association offers two book awards to honour outstanding contributions to science writing 1) intended for and available to children/middle grades ages 8-12 years, and 2) intended for and available to the general public for books that were published in Canada d...

Toronto, ON   CA

CANSCAIP Writing For Children Competition

A goal of the Writing for Children Competition is to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of children's literature across Canada. The Writers Union of Canada initiated the Competition in 1996, and in 2014 CANSCAIP took on this initiative. This contest is open to unpublished write...

Toronto, ON   CA

Carnegie Medal

The Yoto Carnegie Medal is awarded annually to the writer of an outstanding book for children. The book must have received its first publication in the United Kingdom or have had co-publication elsewhere within a three month time lapse. In the case of e-books and short stories or poetry previously p...

London,   UK

Caterpillar Poetry Prize

The Caterpillar is delighted to announce its inaugural poetry prize - for a single poem written by an adult for children (aged 7-11). What we are looking for is a stand-out poem to which we can award a prize of €1,000 to celebrate the richness of children’s writing.

The Priz...

Cavan, Co. Cavan   IE

Christian Author Awards

Sponsored by Xulon Press, the Christian Author Awards recognizes preeminent new Christian authors who are independently published.

Full-length books of fiction and non-fiction are eligible. Eligible books must be in English and published in the United States as a self-published work or as a work p...

Maitland, FL   US

Christian Book Awards

The Christian Book Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the religious publishing industry, as well as the oldest. Formerly the Gold Medallion Book Awards, the Christian Book Awards have been awarded to Christian authors since 1978. Given out by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Associa...

Phoenix, AZ   US

Christian Indie Awards

Christian Indie Awards (formerly Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Awards) honors books produced by small publishers and independent authors each year for outstanding contribution to Christian life. Books are nominated by the publishers or authors and voting is open to Christian readers, re...

Pace, FL   US

CIPA EVVY Book Awards

The EVVY awards are open to any independently or self-published print book, e-book or audio book and may be submitted by the author, publisher or credited service provider (Illustrator, designer, editor, printer, consultant, etc). CIPA membership is NOT REQUIRED....

Lakewood, CO   US

CMA Book Awards

This program recognizes the outstanding work of publishers, authors, and book editors who serve Catholic readers. The Catholic Media Association announces winning entry names at its Catholic Media Conference, publishes them in the Awards issue of The Catholic Journalist, and showcases them on the...

Chicago, IL   US

Coretta Scott King Book Award

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luthe...

Chicago, IL   US

CWA Communications Contest

The Contest is open to ANY person, worldwide, CWA member or non-member, whose work meets the requirements of any CWA Regular or Special Award Contest Category. Entries in all Regular Categories and Special Awards must contain at least two-thirds cat-specific content unless the category-specific rul...

Saint Louis, MO   US

Cybils Awards

The Cybils (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers Literary) Awards were started by a small group of bloggers in 2006 as a grassroots project. Our mission has always been to help discover children's and YA books which combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal and to bring those books ...

Chicago, IL   US

Daisy Utemorrah Award

The Daisy Utemorrah Award is for an unpublished manuscript of junior or YA fiction by a First Nations author. The 2023 Daisy Utemorrah Award is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people currently living in Australia. The Daisy Utemorrah Award is proudly presented as part of the W...

Broome, WA   AU

DWAA Annual Writing Competition

The Maxwell Medallion writing contest is open to all writers, editors, publishers, photographers, artists and others whose work falls into the designated competition categories, which include newspaper, blog postings and magazine columns or articles on canine health, training, rescue or other topics...

Westlake Village, CA   US

Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award

The Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award was established in 1985 following the death of Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver, one of Canada's pre-eminent book illustrators. In her will, Cleaver left a fund of $10,000 dollars for an award to be given annually in recognition of outstanding artisti...

Toronto, ON   CA

Excellence in Publishing Awards

The goal of the "Excellence in Publishing Awards" is to recognize the best in Catholic publishing. Publishers may submit multiple books. Publishers who are Foundation Members at the time of submission will receive one free submission for every paid submission.

Awards will be given for books fallin...

Ellicott City, MD   US

Ezra Jack Keats Book Award

Known collectively as the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage emerging talent in the field of children’s books. The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illus...

Brooklyn, NY   US

FAPA President’s Book Awards

Each year the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) sponsors the FAPA President's Book Awards, which recognizes book publishing excellence and creativity in design, content, and production for authors and publishers. This contest isn't limited to Florida, it is open to anyone thr...

Fort Myers, FL   US

Feathered Quill Book Awards

Feathered Quill Book Awards, a program run by Feathered Quill Book Reviews, a leader in online book review sites, awarding books with gold, silver, and bronze designations in a total of twenty-four categories. In addition, Feathered Quill also includes finalists – these are books with scores clos...

Goshen, MA   US

Florida Book Awards

The Florida Book Awards is an annual competition that exists for one purpose--to honor the best work written by Florida authors and about Florida culture in the previous year. Begun in 2006, the Florida Book Awards is the most comprehensive state book awards program in the United States, and the onl...

Tallahassee, FL   US

Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards

You have a great book, you’re looking for some recognition, and you want a wider audience to fall in love with it. That’s where Foreword’s annual book awards program comes in. The IndieFab Awards recognize the best in indie book publishing, and has been doing so for fifteen years. Our prestigi...

Traverse City, MI   US

Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction

The Alberta Literary Awards were created by the Writers' Guild of Alberta in 1982 to recognize excellence in writing by Alberta authors.

The Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction is sponsored by the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. It is awarded for a novel of collection of short fiction by a...

Edmonton, AB   CA

Georgia Author of the Year Award

The Georgia Author of the Year Awards celebrates the best literature by Georgia writers. Georgia Writers Association assumed responsibility for the Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) shortly after its founding in 1994. The awards were first given in 1964 by the Dixie Council of Authors and Jo...

Kennesaw, GA   US

Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle-Grade Books

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience between the ages of about eight to twelve. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Historical, Adventure we will put them to the test and choose the best Middle Grade Books ...

Bellingham, WA   US

Global Ebook Awards

The Global Ebook Awards are more than an honor for the best ebooks published, they offer high-profile publicity for ebook authors, publishers and ebooks....

Santa Barbara, CA   US

Governor General's Literary Awards

French-language book in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children’s Literature (text), Children’s Literature (illustrated books) and Translation (from French to English).

Books published in English between 1 September 2014 and 28 February ...

Ottawa, ON   CA

High Plains Book Award

The High Plains Books Awards recognize regional authors and/or literary works which examine and reflect life on the High Plains. The High Plains region includes Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The Art & Photograph...

Billings, MT   US

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award

The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in book publishing is regarded as one of the highest national honors for small and independent publishers.

The awards are administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), with help from over 150 book publishing professionals includ...

Manhattan Beach, CA   US

ILA Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards

The ILA Children's and Young Adults'; Book Awards are intended for newly published authors who show unusual promise in the children's and young adults' book field. Awards are given for fiction and nonfiction in each of three categories: primary, intermediate, and young adult. Books from all countrie...

Newark, DE   US

Illumination Book Awards

With the motto, "Shining a Light on Exemplary Christian Books," the Illumination Book Awards are designed to honor the year's best new titles written and published with a Christian worldview.

Authors, illustrators, publishers and self-publishers of Christian books written in English and intended ...

Traverse City, MI   US

Independent Publisher Book Awards

Conducted annually, the Independent Publisher Book Awards honor the year’s best independently published titles from around the world. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles published each year.

The ...

Traverse City, MI   US

Lane Anderson Award

The Lane Anderson Award honours the very best science writing in Canada in two categories: adult and young reader. Jury panels drawn from the Canadian academic, publishing, creative and institutional fields will evaluate submissions in the two categories on the relevance of the book’s conten...

Scarborough, ON   CA

Little Peeps Awards

Chanticleer International Book Awards Reviews is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience for Early Readers. Story books, Beginning Chapter Books, Picture Books, Activity Books & Educational Books....

Bellingham, WA   US

Maine Literary Awards

The 2018 Maine Literary Awards are open to all current Maine residents, including seasonal residents. All nominations to the Book Awards, regardless of category, must have been published during the 2017 calendar year. The editors (or lead editor) of books entered in the Anthology category must be Ma...

Portland, ME   US

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award

The Black-Eyed Susan Book Award is a children's choice award for the state of Maryland. Each year since 1992, the Black-Eyed Susan Book Award has been given to authors and/or illustrators of outstanding books chosen for the award by Maryland students. The award seeks to promote literacy and lifelong...

Westminster, MD   US

McNally Robinson Book For Young People Awards

This award is divided into the categories of Older and Younger. The Older Category is presented to the Manitoban writer whose English language book is judged the best written. It is geared towards books published for readers who are ages 9 to 18. Fiction and non-fiction are eligible. The Younge...

Winnipeg, MB   US

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards contest is designed to honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The program is open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market. <p>Awa...

Traverse City, MI   US

NAIWE 1st Annual Book Awards 2023

Winning a respected book award helps an author reach new audiences and boost sales. It also delivers a satisfying cap for all the hard work that goes into publishing a manuscript. If you have written a book that was published in the last five years, you are eligible to enter it in the NAIWE 1st...

Montpelier, VA   US

National Book Awards

The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. In 1950, William Carlos Williams was the first Winner in Poetry, the following year William Faulkner was honored in Fiction, and so on throug...

New York, NY   US

National Indie Excellence Awards

The National Indie Excellence Awards is open to all English language books available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors.

The National Indie Excellence Awards exists to help establish independent publishing as a str...

Hermosa Beach, CA   US

National Outdoor Book Awards

The National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA) is a non-profit educational program sponsored by the NOBA Foundation, the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and Idaho State University. Its purpose is to recognize and encourage outstanding writing and publishing in the outdoor field. Books ma...

Pocatello, ID   US

New England Book Awards

Titles submitted for the New England Book Awards must be either about New England, set in New England, or written by an author residing in New England. Submissions can be hardcovers, paperback originals, or reissues. The award categories are Children's, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Adul...

Boston, MA   US

New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

Awards for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are made in four categories: Young Adult Fiction, Junior Fiction, Non-fiction and Picture Book. Five finalists are selected for each category and from these a winner in each category is selected. Young Adult Fiction and ...

Wellington,   NZ

Next Generation Indie Book Awards

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards (#NGIBA) is the largest non-profit book awards program for indie authors and publishers.<p>The Next Generation Indie Book Awards was established to recognize and honor the most exceptional independently published books in over 70 different categories, for ...

Lake Oswego, OR   US

Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA)

The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA) was established in 1988 to recognize books that substantially represent northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage, or lifestyle. Starting with a single category in the early years, the awards have grown to include six categories...

Duluth, MN   US

Nova Writes Competition for Unpublished Manuscripts

The annual Nova Writes Competition for Unpublished Manuscripts honours short-form works by Nova Scotia writers. Entry is open to all Nova Scotia residents who have not published books in their categories of entry, which include poetry, fiction, non-fiction, YA & children’s literature, and writ...

Halifax, NS   CA

Pura Belpré Award

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outsta...

Chicago, IL   US

QWF Awards

Every year, The Quebec Writers' Federation shines the spotlight on the best English-language writers to emerge from Quebec. The QWF Awards include six $2,000 book prizes for Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, First Book, Translation, and Children's and Young Adult Literature. The winners of these book pr...

Westmount, PQ   CA

R. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature

This award was established in 1982 in honour of children's author Ronald Ross Annett (1895-1988) and recognizes a children's book published by a resident of Alberta. The award alternates each year between picture books and chapter books. ...

Edmonton, AB   CA

Royal Society Young People's Book Prize

Each year the Royal Society celebrates the best books that communicate science to young people through our Young People’s Book Prize.

The Prize aims to inspire young people to read about science and promotes the writing of excellent, accessible books for under-14s.

Each shortlisted book ...

London, England   UK

Saskatchewan Book Awards

The Saskatchewan Book Awards offers 14 annual or semi-annual awards to celebrate, promote and reward Saskatchewan authors and publishers worthy of recognition.

Award winners are determined through a jury process of the highest integrity, by high-calibre jurors who are recognized as leaders wit...

Regina, SK   CA

Schneider Family Book Awards

The Schneider Family Book Awards are designed to recognize authors or illustrators for portraying storylines featuring characters with special needs.The awards are given annually for books aimed at each of three audiences – children up to age 8, kids ages 9 to 13 and teens ages 14 to 18....

Chicago, IL   US

Stonewall Book Awards

The first and most enduring award for LGBTQIA+ books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. Since Isabel Miller’s Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been ho...

Chicago, IL   US

TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award

All genres of books (i.e., picture books, fiction, non-fiction and poetry), written for young people up to age 12, are eligible for consideration. Teen/young adult books are not eligible for submission.

Books must be published between January 1 and December 31 of the prize year.

Both the...

Toronto, ON   CA

The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize

The City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize is awarded in honour of acclaimed Calgary writer W.O. Mitchell and recognizes literary achievement by Calgary authors. The prize was established in 1996 and is coordinated through a partnership between The City of Calgary and the Writers' Guild of Alberta...

Edmonton, AB   CA

The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award seeks to discover and honor the best books of the previous year (novels, novellas, collections and anthologies, and non-fiction) that incorporate the elements of mystery, thriller, and suspense in numerous genres or, in the case of nonfiction, books that ar...

Franklin, TN   US

The Queen's Knickers Award

This annual prize, generously funded by Nicholas Allan, author of The Queen’s Knickers, is awarded to an outstanding children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7. It will recognise books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether this be in the form of curio...

London, England   UK

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The award was established in 2004 and first presented in 2006. <p> The a...

,   US

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award

Texas State University College of Education developed The Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience. The award was established in 1995 and was named in honor of Dr. Tomás Rivera, a di...

San Marcos, TX   US

Trillium Book Award

The Trillium Book Award was established by the Ontario government in 1987 to “recognize excellence, support marketing and to foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and writing.”

The prize for the Trillium Book Award, awarded in both Engli...

Toronto, ON   CA

UKLA Book Award

The UKLA Book Awards seek to celebrate children's books in order to encourage teachers to increase their professional and personal knowledge of recently published high quality children's books and promote the place of books for young people in all educational settings from nursery to key stage 4. ...

Leicester ,   UK

Vermont Book Award

The Vermont Book Award is a new prize created to honor artists with deep connections to the state of Vermont, and to draw attention to a state so uniquely suited for creative enterprise.

To be eligible for this year’s prize, a book must either be set in Vermont, published by a Vermont...

Montpelier, 05602   US

Western Australian Premier's Book Awards

A biennial award made available by the Western Australian Government and are managed by the State Library of Western Australia.

The categories are as follows: Children’s Books, Digital Narrative, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Scripts, Writing for Young Adults, West Australian History and W...

Perth, WA   AU

Western Writers of America Spur Awards

To be eligible, works submitted must be set in the American West, the early frontier, or relate to the Western or frontier experience. Submitted works must be first copyrighted and published in the calendar year covered by the award. Categories include Western Traditional novel, Historical nov...

, NM   US

WFNB Writing Competition

WFNB Writing Competition offers prizes in seven categories: fiction manuscript, short fiction, poetry manuscript, single poem, children and teens, young writers, and creative non-fiction. Prizes for all categories total $2,600.

Entrants must be New Brunswick residents, or non-resident New Brunsw...

Fredericton, NB   CA

Word Awards

The Word Awards was established to encourage the pursuit of excellence in the art, craft, practice and ministry of writing and help to raise the profile of Canadian writers who are Christian.The content of eligible entries must be consistent with a Christian worldview and the historic Christian trad...

Brantford, ON   CA

Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards

Writer’s Digest’s 9th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards honors the best self-published e-book(s) in eight of the most popular categories with $5,000 in cash, a featured interview in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York ...

Blue Ash, OH   US

Young Readers Choice Awards

The Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award is the oldest children’s choice award in the U.S. and Canada. Chosen by the children of Alberta, Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, from books published 3 years previously, and nominated by l...

Bothell, WA   US

Zayed Book Award

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a major literary award in the Arab World. Awarded annually to the best books in literature, translation, art and humanities....

United Arab Emirates,   AE