Literary Contests - Young Adult

Adventure Writer's Competition

The AWC accepts novels exhibiting (in whole) the general action-adventure-themed genre and style. The Adventure Writer's Competition is sponsored by the Clive Cussler Collector's Society, Braveship Books and AJM Books. It is a annual writing competition for published and non published auth...

Fountain Hills, AZ   US

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 hardc...

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 offic...

Edmonton, AB   CA

Alex Awards

The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998. The titles were selected by the YALSA Adult Books for Young Adults Task Force from the previous year’s publishing and were part of the Adult Books for Young Adults Project, which explored the role of adult books in the reading lives o...

Chicago, IL   US

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

Bath Novel Award

£2,000 international prize for unpublished or independently published writers of novels for adults or young adults. Judge: Susan Armstrong of Conville & Walsh Literary Agency. £22 entry fee per novel. First 5,000 words plus one page synopsis. ...

Avon, England   UK

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

BMO Winterset Award

The BMO Winterset Award celebrates and supports excellence in Newfoundland & Labrador writing. Writers must be either native-born Newfoundlanders or residents of the province. All published literary works are eligible: novels, poetry, non-fiction, collections of essays, works of drama, and books...

St John’s, NL   CA

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

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

Carol Awards

The Carol Awards are ACFW’s recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year. Beginning with the 2015 Carol Awards program, certain independently published Christian fiction will be eligible. <p>Qualifying titles shall be wri...

Palm Bay, FL   US

Catholic Arts and Letters Award

Also known as the Lily Awards, the CALA for Fiction recognizes works of Catholic fiction that merit distinction. The CALA for Excellence in Achievement recognize individuals who have shown distinction in how they have furthered the growth of Catholic Arts and Letters. The CALAs for fiction are bienn...

Eaton, IN   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

Christy Awards

Every year publishers are invited to submit novels written from a Christian worldview and copyrighted in the year preceding the awards.<p>To be eligible, you must submit a full-length work of fiction, including a novella published as a freestanding entity.<p> All eligible submissions ...

Lawrence, KS   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

City of Fremantle Hungerford Award

The Hungerford Award is open to unpublished full-length works of fiction or narrative non-fiction by Western Australian authors. Those from outside the state are able to submit too, provided their work has a heavy WA focus. ...

NorthFreemantle, WA   AU

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

Each year, the Cat Writers’ Association selects the best entries in each category and awards them with Certificates of Excellence. The highest-scoring Certificate-winning entry in each category receives a Muse Medallion at our Annual Awards Ceremony. Special Awards focus on a specific topic and co...

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 book...

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

Eric Hoffer Award for Independent Books

The Eric Hoffer Award for independent books recognizes excellence in publishing with a $2,000 grand prize and various category honors and press type distinctions, as well as the winners of the Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, and First Horizon Award. The book awards are covered in the US Review of Boo...

Titusville, NJ   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 t...

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

Genesis Contest

The ACFW Genesis Contest is for unpublished Christian fiction writers. With ten categories to enter, Genesis provides the opportunity for unbiased feedback on writers’ work by published authors and experienced judges, and the chance for finalists to have their work read by Christian publishing hou...

Palm Bay, FL   US

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 J...

Kennesaw, GA   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

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 Childrens 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....

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 int...

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. <p&g...

Traverse City, MI   US

Maine Literary Awards

The 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 Maine r...

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 li...

Westminster, MD   US

Mass Book Awards

The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and children’s/young adult literature written, illustrated, or translated by current Commonwealth residents. Submissions open each Fall and close at the end of the calendar year. ...

Northampton, MA   US

Michael L. Printz Award

The Michael L. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit, each year. In addition, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, which also represent the best writing in young adult literature. The awards announcement is made at the ALA Mi...

Chicago, IL   US

Midwest Book Awards

Publishers based in the Midwest are invited to enter the annual Midwest Book Awards competition for excellence in books. The awards recognize creativity in content and execution, overall book quality, and the book’s unique contribution to its subject area. Titles accepted in Nonfiction, Fiction, P...

Minneapolis, MN   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

National Book Awards

The National Book Award is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the United States, known for recognizing and rewarding quality writing. The first winner in the Poetry category was William Carlos Williams in 1950, followed by William Faulkner, who won for Fiction the following year. Over th...

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. <p> The National Indie Excellence Awards exists to help establish independent publishing ...

Hermosa Beach, CA   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,...

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

North Shore Writers Association Annual Writing Contest

$100, $75, and $50 prizes awarded to Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry entries. One $100 prize for Writing for Children and YA category. Two $75 youth prizes awarded: 11 and under and 12-18 years. ...

North Vancouver, BC   CA

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

Oregon Book Awards

The Oregon Book Awards program celebrates outstanding literary achievements by Oregon writers across various genres, including poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers. Out-of-state judges evaluate entries based on literary merit, selecting fi...

Portland, OR   US

Prix Aurora Awards

The Aurora awards are run by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA), a federally registered non-profit society. The awards recognize the best Canadian professional and amateur (fan) achievements for the calendar year. The Auroras are only for Canadian citizens or permanent resi...

Calgary, AB   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 boo...

Westmount, PQ   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

Searchlight Awards - Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards’ aim is to open doors for aspiring authors. The twenty shortlistees from the last two competitions received an incredible twenty one full manuscript or additional picture book requests from agents and publishers. Entries are invited for the opening 1,200 wo...

Bath, England   UK

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 honored fo...

Chicago, IL   US

Tassy Walden Award

The Tassy Walden Awards for New Voices in Children’s Literature is an annual competition that encourages and nurtures the creation of exceptional books for children by unpublished writers and illustrators in Connecticut. Offered under the umbrella of the Shoreline Arts Alliance, this award was lau...

Madison, CT   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.<p> Bo...

Toronto, ON   CA

The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence

The Awards are for CRIME WRITING and are not restricted to mystery writing. Crime-writing encompasses far more than the traditional whodunit. The crime genre includes crime, detective, espionage, mystery, suspense, and thriller writing, as well as fictional or factual accounts of criminal doings and...

Guelph, ON   CA

The Dante Rossetti Awards

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 twelve to eighteen. Categories: Contemporary Young Adult SFF & Paranormal Dystopian/Edgy/Urban Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Historical Yo...

Bellingham, WA   US

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

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...

San Marcos, TX   US

Trillium Book Award

The Ontario government established the Trillium Book Award in 1987 to celebrate the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and writing. It includes the Prix Trillium for Francophone writers, a Trillium Book Award for Poetry for emerging poets, and a Trillium Book Award for Children’s Literature ...

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 stag...

Leicester ,   UK

Washington State Book Awards

The Washington State Book Awards honor works of outstanding literary merit by Washington authors. An award is given based on the strength of the publication’s literary merit, lasting importance and overall quality. We are particularly interested in prioritizing excellent works created by authors o...

Olympia, WA   US

Western Australian Premiers 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 West...

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

You must be a New Brunswick resident to participate in the New Brunswick Writing Competition, unless you are a Writers' Federation of New Brunswick member. WFNB members can participate from anywhere. The program celebrates eight categories of unpublished writing in the genres of novel, sho...

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

Writing for Children Competition

Open to unpublished or self-published writers, with no traditionally published books for any age, and not currently under contract with a traditional publisher. Entries can be up to 1,500 words. Every entry gets a written evaluation by a traditionally published CANSCAIP Member volunteer. Entries adv...

Toronto, ON   CA

YA Book Prize

The YA Book Prize launched in 2014 to celebrate great books for teenagers and young adults and aims to get more teens reading and buying books. It is the first prize in the UK and Ireland to specifically focus on fiction for young adults. The prize is organised by book trade magazine The Bookse...

London, England   UK

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