This year has been (another) one for the books, but we at Lone Star Literary Life want to share some of the good news of Texas literary awards and recognitions that have been shared with us.
(Did we miss yours? Email us at Events@LoneStarLiterary.com.)
2021 TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL TEXAS WRITER AWARD
The Texas Book Festival awards the Texas Writer Award each year to a Texas author who has made a significant contribution to the literary arts. This year Don Tate, the award-winning author and/or illustrator of seven biographies and more than 80 publications for young readers, was named the recipient of the 2021 Texas Writer Award. (Read the Lone Star Listens interview with Don Tate.)
KIRKUS PRIZE: Young Readers’ Literature
Austin-based literary magazine, Kirkus Reviews, awarded All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Austin’s Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick), its prize for Young Readers’ Literature. (Read the Lone Star Listens interview with Christina Soontornvat.)
TEXAS INSTITUTE OF LETTERS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Author Celeste Bedford Walker has been named the 2022 winner of the Texas Institute of Letters’ prestigious Lon Tinkle Award for Lifetime Achievement. This is the highest honor given by the TIL, which was established in 1936 to recognize distinctive literary achievement. The award will be presented to Bedford Walker at the TIL’s annual banquet on April 23, 2022, in El Paso, Texas.
The TIL’s 2021 Literary Contests (PDF) are now open for works published in 2021. The deadline to enter is January 3, 2022.
NSK NEUSTADT PRIZE FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of international literature and culture, announced Cynthia Leitich Smith as the winner of the 2021 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature.
Awarded in alternating years with the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the biennial NSK Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in the world of children’s and young adult literature. (Read the Lone Star Listens interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith.)
2021 BEST INDIE BOOK AWARD (BIBA)
Over 70 authors, illustrators, and cover designers have been named as the winners of the 2021 Best Indie Book Awards, now in its 10th year. Each winner receives a custom trophy, their name and book listed on the BIBA website, and promotion throughout the year.
Texas author, Dana Wayne was named the winner for the Contemporary Romance category for her novel, Chasing Hope. (Visit the Lone Star Lit Blog Tour page.)
NORTH TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL WINNERS
The 2021 North Texas Book Festival book award winners were announced virtually, but the festival has been pushed back to 2022.
ADULT FICTION WINNERS (tie)
Crucible: Records of the Argos by Michael J. Farlow
Dire's Club by Kimberly Packard (Visit the Lone Star Lit Blog Tour page.)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Plague Unleashed by DC Gomez
POETRY
Quiet Time Rhymes by John Alexander
ADULT NONFICTION
Recipes from the President's Ranch by Matthew Wendel
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS
The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise: An International Adoption Story by Julie Gianelloni Connor, illustrations by Saman Chinthaka Weerasinghe
CHILDREN 6-12
Shadow's Forever Home by Sandra Biersdorfer, illustrations by Barbara Gadsby
SHORT STORIES
Akaiju Christmas by LM Mann
2021 CHRISTY AWARD FOR CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
The Christy Awards honor the best in Christian Fiction since 1999.
Dallas author Becky Wade won the contemporary romance award for Stay with Me (Bethany House).
WILLA LITERARY AWARDS
Women Writing the West announced the winners and finalists of the WILLA Awards. The Flying Cutterbucks Kathleen M. Rodgers was a finalist for Best Contemporary Fiction, Some Electric Hum by Janice Northerns was a finalist for Best Poetry, and Death in the Time of Pancho Villa by Sandra Marshall was a finalist for Best Original Softcover Fiction.
PEN AWARDS LONGLIST
PEN America announced the longlists for the 2022 Literary Awards. Awards are juried by panels of esteemed, award-winning authors, editors, translators, and critics. These authors are committed to recognizing their contemporaries, from promising debut writers to those who have had a continuous, lasting impact on the literary landscape. You can learn more about the 2022 Judges PEN America Literary Awards judges here.
Finalists for all Book Awards will be announced in January 2022.
Nominated for the PEN America Translation Prize:
FEM, Magda Cârneci (Deep Vellum)
If you know of a recent award or honor earned by a Texas writer or illustrator that we’ve missed, please drop us a line at info@lonestarliterary.com.
