We readers know our Texas authors are talented, so it's no surprise they just keep bringing home the wins. As of our last installment, Texan writers, authors, and poets have won awards at all levels. Let the virtual clapping commence.

29th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Writer’s Digest hosted its 29th annual self-published competition—the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors.

The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island by Austin's Scott Semegran was Writer's Digest first place winner in the Middle Grade/Young Adult category.

2022 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award:

Texas State University College of Education developed the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience. The award was established in 1995 and was named in honor of Dr. Tomás Rivera, a distinguished alumnus of Texas State University.

Winning the "Work for Younger Readers" category was My Two Border Towns by David Bowles, illustrated by Erika Meza. 

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 2022 Western Heritage Awards

Western Writers of America Wrangler and Spur Awards

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Lubbock, Texas recently awarded Cow Boyhood by S.J. Dahlstrom a Wrangler award for the best juvenile book.  This award will be presented on April 9 at the museum in Oklahoma City.The Western Heritage Awards honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Western heritage through creative works in literature, music, television, and film that share the great stories of the American West.
 

Cow Boyhood was also awarded The Western Writers of America Spur Award for best juvenile fiction.  Western Writers of America annually honors writers for distinguished writing about the American West with the Spur Awards. Since 1953 the Spur Awards have been considered one of the most prestigious awards in American literature.

Also winning a Spur Award was 2010 Texas Poet Laureate Karla K. Morton, who won Best Poem for “Cimarron Herd,” a poem from her latest book, Politics of the Minotaur.  She will be accepting the award in person at the upcoming annual conference, being held June 22-25, 2022, in Great Falls, Montana

Independent Press Award National Indie Excellence Awards

Texas author HK Jacobs earned two 2022 Distinguished Favorite: Romance awards, one each, for Becoming Wilde and Wilde Type, the first two books of her Alex Wilde series. Winners of the annual independent Press Award (formerly the Gabby Awards) program are announced every Spring.  

The West Texas Historical Association Elmer Kelton Award

The West Texas Historical Association awarded Haunted Border by Patrick Dearen the 2022 Elmer Kelton Award.  The Elmer Kelton Award recognizes the best creative work on West Texas. Works of fiction eligible for award include novels, poetry, collections of short stories, or drama. The book must emphasize a West Texas theme or setting.

The award and prize will be awarded to Dearen at the Annual Meeting of the West Texas Historical Association in Lubbock, Texas on March 18-19.