Award-Winning and Nominated Young Adult Books

Check out the following sites for books that have won or been nominated for these prestigious awards:

Alex Award
This award highlights books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18.

American Indian Youth Literature Award
The awards were established as a way to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. Books selected to receive the award will present American Indians in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
The goal of the award is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit.

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.

Edwards Award
The Margaret A. Edwards Award is an American Library Association (ALA) literary award that annually recognizes an author and "a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature"

Excellence in Nonfiction Award
The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Morris Award
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.

Nutmeg Book Award
Each year a committee of Connecticut children and teen librarians nominate 10-15 books in the categories of Elementary, Intermediate, Teen, and High School. Children in grades 2-12 are encouraged to read them and vote for their favorite – a book award chosen by kids!

Odyssey Award
This annual award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association (ALA) literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit".

Pura Belpré Award
The Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Schneider Family Book Award
The Schneider Family Book Award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Sydney Taylor Book Award
The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) presents this annual award to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. It draws attention to the best in Judaic literature, encouraging publication and purchase of high-quality Jewish writing.

Additional awards and book lists by the Young Adult Library Services Association can be found here.