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State and Regional Awards for Picture Books

list of awards for poetry picture books for kids

I’m on a quest make a comprehensive list of the awards for kid’s books in the United States. The awards listed below focus on books and book creators from a state or region of the US.

A range of organizations in these states celebrate the local literature. The Georgia Children’s Book Award is given by the state university. Libraries give out the honors in Florida, Maine, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. In the West, independent booksellers from 12 states sponsor the Reading the West Awards. Booksellers also award prizes for regional books in the South. In Nebraska, the awards are presented by a group of book professionals and book lovers who have built a community affiliated with the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book. In New Mexico, a non-profit co-op of over 1500 publishers and authors get together to promote local books.

The ultimate connoisseurs of picture books are consulted in Georgia, Maine, and South Dakota, where the children pick the winners.

For more kid’s book awards, Get a graphic with clickable links to 85 picture book awards.

Florida Book Awards

Florida State University Libraries

The Florida Book Awards honors Florida authors. The author must be a full time resident of Florida, though authors of titles submitted in the Florida NonFiction and Visual Arts can be residents of other states. For picture books, the illustrator need not be a Florida resident, but the illustrator also will not receive an award. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • chapter books
  • early reader
  • e-book
  • middle grade
  • picture book
  • posthumous
  • regional: Florida
  • self-published
  • YA

Georgia Children’s Book Awards

College of Education - University of Georgia

The purpose of the Georgia Children’s Book Awards is to foster a love of reading in the children of Georgia, and to introduce them to books of literary excellence. Books are nominated for the awards by teachers, media specialists, and other children’s literature enthusiasts from the state of Georgia. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • child-chosen
  • literary merit
  • middle grade
  • picture book
  • regional: Georgia

Kansas Notable Books

Kansas Center for the Book, State Library

The award recognizes the year’s best works by Kansas authors and illustrators works that highlight Kansas history and heritage. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • chapter books
  • fiction
  • nonfiction
  • picture book
  • regional: Kansas
  • YA

Nebraska Book Awards

The Nebraska Center for the Book (NCB)

The Nebraska Book Awards are given out yearly. They recognize and honor books that are connected to Nebraska, written by Nebraska authors, published by Nebraska publishers, or set in Nebraska. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • picture book
  • regional: Nebraska
  • YA

New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards

New Mexico Book Co-op

New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards intend to uncover and honor the best in Arizona and New Mexico books. Books will be judged by booksellers, librarians, teachers, and book marketing experts. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • bilingual
  • early reader
  • picture book
  • regional: New Mexico & Arizona
  • YA

North Texas Book Award

North Texas Book Festival

The award recognizes excellence in books published by their authors or by small, independent publishing companies. It is given as part of the North Texas Book Festival which is held yearly and gives grants to help local schools, public libraries, and literacy programs. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • picture book
  • regional: Texas
  • self-published
  • small publisher
  • YA

Oklahoma Book Awards

Oklahoma Department of Libraries

Books considered for this award must have an Oklahoma-based theme. The author, illustrator, or designer must live or have lived in Oklahoma. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • illustration
  • picture book
  • regional: Oklahoma
  • YA

Pacific Northwest Book Awards

Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

These annual awards are for excellence in writing from the Pacific Northwest. Books qualify if they have been published within the current calendar year, and the author and/or illustrator live in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, or British Columbia. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • picture book
  • regional: Pacific Northwest
  • YA

South Dakota Children’s Book Awards

South Dakota State Library

The Children of South Dakota choose the winners from a list of nominated books. PreK, kindergarten, and first grade students choose the Prairie Bud winners, second and third graders pick the Prairie Bloom winner. ourth and fifth graders choose the Prairie Pasque winners. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • child-chosen
  • currently in print
  • fiction
  • middle grade
  • nonfiction
  • picture book
  • regional: South Dakota

Southern Book Prize, formerly SIBA Book Award

SIBA - Southern Independent Booksellers Association

Each year, hundreds of booksellers across the South vote on their favorite “handsell” books of the year. For a book to be considered, it must be set in the south or the author must be Southern. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • regional: Southern
  • middle grade
  • picture books
  • YA

Southwest Book Awards

Border Regional Library Association

Books must be about the Southwest, West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico. The library association will judge the quality of books against the other entries and all of southwestern literature. Poetry and fiction must reflect Southwestern culture and/or be set in the Southwest. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • fiction
  • new title
  • nonfiction
  • picture book
  • poetry
  • reference
  • regional: Southwest

Texas Festival Books

Texas Book Festival

The Texas Book Festival wants to inspire Texans to love reading and focuses on literature and Texas literary culture. They review all books that are submitted. Self-published titles must meet certain criteria for consideration. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • children
  • middle grade
  • picture book
  • regional: Texas
  • YA

The Nutmeg Book Award

Connecticut Library Association, Connecticut Association of School Librarians

Books must be currently in print, first published no more than five years from selection date, copyrighted in the United States. Book for elementary award may be fiction or nonfiction and must be available in paperback. Books for older readers must be fiction, and illustrations for these books may or may not be considered. Given for grades 2–4, grades 4–6, highschool More about the award ▹

Focus

  • children
  • paperback
  • picture book
  • regional: Connecticut
  • teen
  • YA

Reading the West Book Awards

Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association

The awards honor the best fiction, non-fiction, and illustrated books for adults and children set in one of the states in the region, or created by an author or artist living or working in the American west. The awards are given to books published in the previous calendar year. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • early reader
  • picture book
  • regional: west
  • YA

Chickadee Award

Maine Association of School Libraries

Children in kindergarten through fourth grade in Maine choose the winner from a list of the previous year’s books selected by a committee of librarians, teachers and early literacy professionals. More about the award ▹

Focus

  • child-chosen
  • picture book
  • regional: Maine