Stonewall Book Award

すとーんうぉーる・ぶっくしょう

Annual literary award organized by the American Library Association (ALA) Rainbow Round Table for English-language books on LGBTQ experiences.

LGBT LiteratureEnglish-language booksAmerican literary awardsFictionNonfictionChildren's & Young Adult

Established: 1971
Organizer: American Library Association (ALA) Rainbow Round Table (RRT)
Category: Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Selection Method: Recommendation
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around January
Status: Active

Description

The Stonewall Book Award is an annual award established in 1971 to recognize English-language books related to LGBTQ themes. It currently consists of three categories: Barbara Gittings Literature Award (Literature), Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award (Non-Fiction), and Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award (Children's & YA). Finalists have been designated since 1990, and the term "Honor Books" has been used for recognition since 2001. Selection is handled by a panel of librarians, who typically select 5 finalists per category and then choose 1 winner. Winners are announced every January, and plaques and cash prizes are awarded at the ALA Annual Conference (June–July).

Prize

Main Prize: Plaque (shield) and $1,000 cash prize (USD), awarded at ALA Annual Conference
Cash Prize: 1,000 USD

Winner's plaque (shield)
Award ceremony and acceptance speech opportunity at ALA Annual Conference
Inclusion in ALA winner list and promotional materials

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Nomination/Recommendation	General public (anyone can recommend a title). Publishers and agents must declare conflicts of interest.	${null}	Nominations accepted via ALA's online form
Finalist Selection	Librarian panel selects 5 finalists from nominees per category	5 selected per category (number of nominees varies by year)	Finalists (Honor Books) are announced after selection (since 1990)
Final Judging/Winner Selection	Same librarian panel selects 1 winner from finalists	${null}	Winners announced every January and formally awarded at ALA Annual Conference (June–July)
Award Ceremony	N/A (awarding and recognition stage)	${null}	Plaque and cash prize awarded, along with acceptance speech at ALA Annual Conference

Nomination/Recommendation

Judges General public (anyone can recommend a title). Publishers and agents must declare conflicts of interest.

Pass Rate ${null}

Announcement Nominations accepted via ALA's online form

Finalist Selection

Judges Librarian panel selects 5 finalists from nominees per category

Pass Rate 5 selected per category (number of nominees varies by year)

Announcement Finalists (Honor Books) are announced after selection (since 1990)

Final Judging/Winner Selection

Judges Same librarian panel selects 1 winner from finalists

Pass Rate ${null}

Announcement Winners announced every January and formally awarded at ALA Annual Conference (June–July)

Award Ceremony

Judges N/A (awarding and recognition stage)

Pass Rate ${null}

Announcement Plaque and cash prize awarded, along with acceptance speech at ALA Annual Conference

Criteria

Demonstrating 'exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience' regarding LGBTQ experiences
Original English-language works published in the US or Canada in the previous year (substantially revised new editions or English translations also eligible)
Literary or scholarly quality, originality of content, cultural impact, and impact on readers
Documentary value and accuracy (for nonfiction) and overall quality as a work (for fiction, children's books, etc.)

Application Tips

Dos

Use ALA's online nomination form and attach concise, persuasive nomination reasons
If nominating as a publisher or agent, always disclose conflicts of interest
Confirm that the work is an English-language publication from the US or Canada in the previous year
For translations or substantially revised editions, clearly state that and specify the revisions

Don''ts

Nominating without disclosing conflicts of interest
Nominating works that do not meet publication country or language requirements
Including misinformation or excessive exaggeration in nomination reasons

From Judges

Emphasis on the quality and sincerity of LGBTQ experience portrayal, and cultural impact
Literary/scholarly quality and reliability of sources are also key evaluation points
Verify publication details (country, year, edition, etc.) before nominating and provide clear reasons