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COLORADO BOOK AWARDS2024-10-01T15:18:05-06:00

2025 Colorado Book Award Submissions

We are now accepting submissions for the 2025 Colorado Book Awards. The 34th annual Colorado Book Awards season begins September 9, 2024 for books published for the first time between November 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024. The submission deadline is January 3rd, 2025.

We are particularly interested in receiving and reviewing works created by authors of communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded.

Overview2024-09-09T09:57:42-06:00

Books are reviewed in a two-part process by volunteer selectors and judges from across the state. In the first round of adjudication in February and March, a panel of three selectors reviews all books submitted in a category to determine the finalists (typically three per category). In the second round in April and May, a panel of three judges reviews the finalists and selects a winner. All winners will be announced at the Finalists Celebration and Winners Announcement in July 2025.

The 2025 Colorado Book Award includes:

  • Winners: a cash prize and engraved plaque
  • Winners and Finalists:
    • Opportunity to join the Colorado Center for the Book Author Talks
    • https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/ccftb-author-talks/
    • Statewide publicity surrounding announcement of the Colorado Book Awards
    • Branded promotional materials

Please direct all questions to Valerie Eddy
valerie@coloradohumanities.org
303.894.7951 x15

Submission Requirements2024-09-09T09:58:09-06:00
  • A complete online entry form for each title submitted
  • A submission fee of $60 per entry (payable by credit/debit card)
  • Four (4) copies of each submitted title
    • Important: if your book is nominated as a finalist, Colorado Humanities staff will contact you requesting three (3) additional copies of your book for the second round of judging.

Deadline: Submission form, entry fee, and book copies must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2025.

Send Books to: Colorado Humanities, attn: Colorado Book Awards, 7935 E. Prentice Ave., Suite 450, Greenwood Village, CO 80111

In-Person Drop-offs: If desired, books may be dropped off in person on select days at our office. Please contact Administrative Assistant Tawnya Albright (tawnya@coloradohumanities.org, 303.894.7951 x10) to arrange a drop-off time.

Contact: Please contact Valerie Eddy with questions regarding eligibility, category placement, or the submission process. Email: valerie@coloradohumanities.org / Phone: 303.894.7951 x15.

Please note: Copies of submitted books become the property of Colorado Humanities and will not be returned. Books will be donated to communities that promote literacy and learning throughout Colorado following the judging process.

Disclaimer: Members of the staff and board of Colorado Humanities are not eligible to submit books to or serve as selectors and judges for the Colorado Book Awards.

Eligibility Requirements2024-10-03T12:30:18-06:00

In order to be eligible for submission, the following criteria must be met.

  • A primary contributor to the book must currently reside in Colorado and have a Colorado address.
  • All submitted books must have a valid ISBN and a 2024 publication date. Exceptions are made for books with a publication date of November or December 2023.

Self-published books are accepted, provided that they meet all eligibility requirements, and we strongly recommend that books be professionally edited.

The following are NOT eligible:

  • Submitted works MUST be human authored. We do not accept works that are generated fully or partially by A.I./LLM engines or services (i.e., ChatGPT, Jasper, Sudowrite,) including those translated into English by AI-driven tools. Submitted works found in violation of this policy will be withdrawn without refund.
  • Reprinted editions or books containing previously published material UNLESS at least 50% of the book’s content is new (further documentation will be required)
  • Advance reading copies and galleys. If a book’s release date is after the submission deadline, the author or publisher must contact Colorado Humanities prior to January 3, 2025 to discuss a submission plan.
  • E-books
  • Plays or screenplays
  • Books written by staff or board members of Colorado Humanities
  • Books submitted to the previous year’s Colorado Book Awards contest

The final decision on a book’s eligibility is made by Colorado Humanities, and this decision will be binding.Please read eligibility requirements carefully. Refunds will not be processed for ineligible books.

Categories2024-09-09T09:58:46-06:00
  • Anthology – A collection of poems, stories, or essays by one or more authors, with a compiler or editor other than the author.
  • Creative Nonfiction & Memoir – A book of nonfiction that uses literary styles and techniques as well as memory, experience, observation, and opinion to create factually accurate narratives.
  • General Nonfiction – A book of nonfiction, including, but not limited to, science, nature, guidebooks, cookbooks, and educational texts.
  • Genre Fiction – A book of fiction that is tied to the plot and follows conventions of genres such as science fiction/fantasy, mystery, thriller, romance, etc.; if enough entries for a specific genre subcategory are received in a given year, a Colorado Book Award will be given in that specific genre.
  • History – A nonfiction book of history, including biographies of persons born earlier than the 20th century.
  • Novel/Novella – A novel is a work of prose fiction with a word count of 40,000 words or more. A novella is a work of prose fiction with a word count between 17,500 and 40,000 words.
  • Pictorial – A book strongly focused on photographs/illustrations by a Colorado photographer/illustrator; books in this category will be judged primarily on their illustrative content and overall book design.
  • Poetry – A book-length collection of poetry by a single writer; chapter books of at least 30 pages are also eligible.
  • Short Story – short story collection.
  • Emergent Readers – A work of fiction or nonfiction for ages birth to 4. Books for this age are mainly read aloud style with engaging illustrations and text. The story is told with few words and encourages children to formulate shapes, letters, and sounds.
  • Early Readers – A work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for readers grades K – 2nd. Books can also include easy chapter books and picture books. Characters in the story are of similar age to the reader.
  • Juvenile Literature – A work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for readers grades 3rd – 5th.
  • Middle Grade – A work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for readers grades 6th – 8th.
  • Young Adult Literature – A work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for young adults grades 9th – 12th.

Books may be submitted in only one category. The final decision on a book’s category placement will be determined by Colorado Humanities.

2025 Colorado Book Awards Judge and Selector Application

Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book assigns volunteer selectors and judges to create panels of diverse readers (e.g., scholars, librarians, booksellers, teachers, and writers) from across the state. Participating as a selector or judge provides you with an opportunity to see firsthand what members of Colorado’s literary community are creating. For more information and an opportunity to be considered, please visit the link below. Applications must be submitted by December 1, 2024.

About the Colorado Book Awards

The Colorado Book Awards annually celebrates the accomplishments of Colorado’s outstanding authors, editors, illustrators, and photographers. Volunteer selectors and judges from across Colorado read submissions to choose finalists and winners. To learn more about, partner with, or sponsor the Colorado Book Awards, please contact Colorado Center for the Book Programs Coordinator Valerie Eddy at valerie@coloradohumanities.org 303.894.7951 x15

Congratulations to the 2024 Colorado Book Awards Finalists and Winners!

Winners pictured and in bold.

Children’s Literature

Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions
Darshana Khiani and Dow Phumiruk
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Lia & Luís: Puzzled!
Ana Crespo and Giovana Medeiros
Charlesbridge

Light Speaks
Christine Layton and Luciana Navarro Powell
Tilbury House Publishers

Something Spectacular: A Rock’s Journey
Carmela Lavigna Coyle and Carly Allen-Fletcher
Muddy Boots Books

Creative Nonfiction

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet
Ben Goldfarb
W. W. Norton & Company

Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado
Dave Showalter
Braided River, an imprint of Mountaineers Books

Losing Music
John Cotter
Milkweed Editions

Soil: the Story of a Black Mother’s Garden
Camille T. Dungy
Simon and Schuster

Historical Fiction

A Bakery In Paris
Aimie K. Runyan
HarperCollins Publishers

Paradise Undone: A Novel of Jonestown
Annie Dawid
Inkspot Publishing

To Die Beautiful
Buzzy Jackson
Penguin Random House, Dutton

History

Galloping Gourmet: Eating and Drinking with Buffalo Bill
Steve Friesen
University of Nebraska Press

HILOS CULTURALES: Cultural Threads of The San Luis Valley
Patricia B. Martinez, Herman A Martinez, and Enrique R. Lamadrid
History Colorado

Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era
J.v.L Bell and Jan Gunia
Filter Press

Juvenile Literature

Backcountry
Jenny Goebel
Scholastic

Brave Bird at Wounded Knee: A Story of Protest on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Rachel Bithell and Eric Freeberg
Jolly Fish Press

Skyriders
Polly Holyoke
Viking Books for Young Readers

The Girl From Earth’s End
Tara Dairman
Candlewick Press

Mystery

Blood Betrayal
Ausma Zehanat Khan
Minotaur Books

Standing Dead
Margaret Mizushima
Crooked Lane Books

Take the Honey and Run: A Beekeeping Mystery
Jennie Marts
Crooked Lane Books

Novel

Homestead: A Novel
Melinda Moustakis
Flatiron Books

The Applicant
Nazli Koca
Grove Press

The Last Animal
Ramona Ausubel
Penguin Random House, Riverhead Books

Poetry

How You Walk Alone in the Dark
Erin Block
Middle Creek Publishing & Audio

Maps You Can’t Make
Mariella Saavedra Carquin
June Road Press

Still and Still Moving
Katie Scruggs Galloway
Indie Earth Publishing

Romance

Autumn of the Big Snow
Lou Jacobs
Clinescot Publishing Colorado

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other
Bethany Turner
Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins

Raising Elle
S.E. Reichert
5 Prince Publishing and Books

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea
David R. Slayton
Blackstone Publishing

Not Quite Dead Geniuses at Large on an Angry Planet
R. Gary Raham
Biostration

Silenced
Ann Claycomb
Titan Books

Short Story

Defensible Spaces
Alison Turner
Torrey House Press​

This is Salvaged: Stories
Vauhini Vara
W. W. Norton & Company

Uranians: Stories
Theodore McCombs
Astra Publishing House

Thriller

No Child of Mine
Nichelle Giraldes
Sourcebooks

Once Upon a Lie
Rebecca Taylor
Ophelia House

The Girls in the Cabin
Caleb Stephens
Joffe Books

Young Adult Literature

Rez Ball
Byron Graves
Heartdrum/HarperCollins Children’s Books

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux
Ellen O’Clover
HarperCollins Publishers

Surviving Daybreak
Kendra Merritt
Blue Fyre Press

Media

Past Winners and Finalists

Congratulations to our winners and finalists! Click the buttons below to view category definitions and past award recipients.

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