What eleven readers owe a book
On the discipline of judging: how the jury reads, argues, and decides.
The inaugural prize · MMXXVI
Honoring the year's
outstanding books
A juried literary prize, open to writers and publishers everywhere, administered in the state of Florida.
Nineteen categories
The full list →IGeneral fictionIILiterary fictionIIIHistorical fictionIVMystery, thriller & suspenseVGeneral nonfictionVIMemoir & biographyVIIHistoryVIIIFlorida nonfictionIXCookingXPoetryXISpanish languageXIIVisual arts & the art of the bookXIIIYoung children's literatureXIVOlder children's literatureXVYoung adult literatureXVIThe Debut MedalXVIIThe Cover MedalXVIIIThe Translation MedalXIXThe Audio Medal
The prize
Built on reading
The Florida Book Awards honors books of exceptional merit published in the previous year. The awards are conferred in nineteen categories spanning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and literature for young readers, and are open to books from presses of every kind — trade, university, independent, and author-published alike.
Every entered book is read by members of a standing jury of eleven working authors. Gold, silver, and bronze medals recognize the finest work in each category; the jury may further cite honorable mentions at its discretion. Books by Florida writers and presses are additionally considered for the Florida Medal.
Entry begins at sixty-five dollars before the first deadline, and never exceeds eighty-four. Winners are announced each April at the annual ceremony in Miami.
XI
Authors on the standing jury
XIX
Categories of competition
$65
Entry before 31 August
April
The ceremony, Miami
The medals
Categories & special medals →Gold
The category's finest book of the year, decided by the panel in deliberation.
Silver
A book of distinction in the category, recognized alongside the gold.
Bronze
A third medal conferred in each category at the jury's discretion.
The Florida Medal
Additional recognition for outstanding books by Florida writers and presses.
From the journal
All entries →A literature with saltwater in it
Notes on a regional literature that was never merely regional.
Announcing the inaugural prize
Entries open today. What we are looking for, and how the year unfolds.