Minnesota Book Awards
Minnesota Book Awards
An annual literary award recognizing books by Minnesota writers across multiple genres, established in 1988 and culminating each spring with an awards ceremony.
- Established
- 1988
- Organizer
- The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
- Category
- Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
- Selection Method
- Open call
- Target
- Open
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Application Deadline
- around November
- Announcement Period
- around May
- Status
- Active
Description
The Minnesota Book Awards are literary awards given annually for books produced in the previous year by writers, illustrators, and book artists from Minnesota. Established in 1988, they were initially part of the Minnesota Festival of the Book (no awards given in 1990), and the organizing body has changed over time (Minnesota Center for the Book → Minnesota Humanities Commission in 2000 → Friends of the Saint Paul Library resumed leadership in 2006). Award categories include children's literature, general nonfiction, genre fiction, memoir & creative nonfiction, Minnesota-themed works, novels & short stories, poetry, young people's literature, and special awards such as the Kay Sexton Award, Minnesota Book Artist Award, Readers' Choice Award (introduced 2007), and Hognander Minnesota History Award (introduced 2012).
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nomination / Submission | Based on submissions and nominations (details vary by year) | — | — |
| Finalist selection (category judging) | Category judging panels (composition varies by year) | — | — |
| Readers' Choice (public vote, introduced 2007) | Public vote (from nominated works) | — | Readers' Choice results are announced at the annual awards ceremony |
Criteria
- Must be a book produced in the previous year
- Creators (writers, illustrators, book artists) must have a connection to Minnesota
- Must fit the submitted/nominated category
- Literary and production quality (according to each year's judging criteria)
Application Tips
Dos
- Check eligibility requirements, eligible publication years, and categories on the official website
- Strictly adhere to the submission deadline
- Accurately provide author/publisher information and required documents
- Confirm the work is suitable for the category
Don''ts
- Do not submit after the deadline
- Do not ignore application guidelines or format
- Do not leave errors in work information
Related Awards
- Minnesota Fantasy Award
- Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA)
- Minnesota Book Artist Award
- Kay Sexton Award