About the prize
Miami, FloridaThe Florida Book Awards is an annual juried literary prize honoring books of exceptional merit. It is administered in Florida and open to the world: any book first published within the past five years may be entered, from any press, in any of nineteen categories.
The prize holds a particular regard for the literary culture of its home state. The Florida Medal, conferred alongside the category awards, honors outstanding books by Florida's writers and publishers — a recognition added to the prize, never a thumb on its scale.
Winners receive the gold, silver, or bronze medal of the Florida Book Awards, are announced to the press each spring, and are celebrated at the annual ceremony in Miami.
- Founded2026, Miami, Florida
- ConferredGold, silver & bronze medals in nineteen categories; Book of the Year; the Florida Medal; honorable mentions at the jury's discretion
- Judged byA standing jury of eleven working authors, appointed annually
- CeremonyApril, Miami
- Presspress@floridabookawards.com
Principles
What the prize stands for- Reading firstEvery entered book is read in full by at least two jurors. Nothing about the prize matters more than the reading.
- Imprint-blindTrade, university, independent, and author-published books are considered on the same terms.
- BilingualFlorida is a hemispheric state. Books published in Spanish are honored on their own terms, not treated as an afterthought.
- Merit, not marketingThe number of entries in a category never determines the number of medals conferred. The jury may withhold a medal.
- AccessibleFees begin at $65 and never exceed $84. Small presses and debut authors are not priced out.
- IndependentThe prize is administered independently of any university, foundation, or existing awards program.
Governance
How the prize is runThe prize is administered by a small standing office in Miami. Day-to-day operations — entry intake, jury logistics, shortlist and winner communications, ceremony production — are handled by paid staff. Editorial decisions of every kind are made by the jury, in confidence, without staff involvement in the deliberation.
An advisory board of booksellers, librarians, and past jurors meets twice a year to review the prize's rules, categories, and codes of practice, and to receive the jury chair's report on the year's work. The advisory board has no role in selecting winners.
The prize's annual report — entries received, medals conferred, budget, and staff — is published each May in the journal.