The Florida Book Awards has announced its 2022 competition for the best Florida literature and established a Jan. 13, 2023, entry deadline.
Coordinated by Florida State University Libraries, the Florida Book Awards is the nation’s most comprehensive state book awards program, established in 2006 to recognize and celebrate the best literature by Florida authors and books about Florida published each year.
The Florida Book Awards now includes awards in 11 categories and is introducing a Gold Medal for Poetry Chapbooks within the Poetry category.
Authors must be full-time Florida residents, except in the Florida Nonfiction, Visual Arts and Cooking categories, in which the subject matter must focus on Florida.
Books may be submitted by authors, publishers or members of the public in any of the categories: Cooking, Florida Nonfiction, General Fiction, General Nonfiction, Older Children’s Literature, Poetry, Popular Fiction, Spanish Language, Visual Arts, Young Adult Literature, and Young Children’s Literature. Descriptions of these categories and instructions for submitting nominations are available at floridabookawards.org. All books nominated must have a 2022 copyright date and an ISBN number.
Entries must be received no later than Jan. 13, but applicants are encouraged to submit their books for competition as soon as possible after their books are published. Winners will be announced the first week of March 2023.
Nominations for the Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award are also open. This award, established in 2019, aims to recognize a writer who has shown exceptional talent and the potential for continued literary success and significance.
Nominees for the Ensley Award must be Florida residents who have published at least one but no more than two books in any of the Florida Book Awards categories and exhibit demonstrated ability and promise for continued growth. The award is accompanied by a $1,000 prize. Nominations are due by Dec. 31, 2022.
Instructions for nominating a writer are listed at https://www.floridabookawards.org/ensley-award.
The Florida Book Awards involves library, literary and cultural organizations, including the State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Humanities, Florida Center for the Book, Midtown Reader and the Word of South festival.
Learn more about the Florida Book Awards at https://www.floridabookawards.org/.