Florida Book Awards 2022 winners by category:

YOUNG CHILDREN’S LITERATURE:

• GOLD: Jennifer Swanson, Jacksonville, “Footprints Across the Planet” (Reycraft Books)
• SILVER: Jen Arena, Tampa, “Acorn Was a Little Wild” (Simon & Schuster)
• BRONZE: Ana Siqueira, Palm Harbor, “If Your Babysitter is a Bruja” (Simon & Schuster)
• BRONZE: Henry Cole, Fort Lauderdale, “Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story” (Scholastic Press)

OLDER CHILDREN’S LITERATURE:

• GOLD: Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Coral Gables, “The Bluest Sky” (Knopf Books)
• SILVER: Sandra Markle, Lakewood Ranch, “Secrets of the Lost City: A Scientific Adventure in the Honduran Rain Forest” (Lerner Publishing Group)
• BRONZE: Rodman Philbrick, Marathon, “We Own the Sky” (Scholastic Press)

COOKING:

• GOLD: Andrew T. Huse, Bárbara C. Cruz and Jeff Houck, Tampa, “The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers” (University Press of Florida)

GENERAL NONFICTION:

• GOLD: Ronald Gruner, Naples, “We the Presidents: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century” (Libratum Press LLC)
• SILVER: Noemi Figueroa Soulet, Kissimmee, “The Borinqueneers: A Visual History of the 65th Infantry” (LSU Press)
• BRONZE: Dr. Doug Mader, Big Pine Key, “The Vet at Noah’s Ark” (Apollo Publishers)

GENERAL FICTION:

• GOLD: David Sanchez, Coral Gables, “All Day is a Long Time” (Harper Books)
• SILVER: Kim Bradley, St. Augustine, “Spillway” (Stephen F. Austin State University Press)
• BRONZE: Tara Lynn Masih, St. Augustine, “How We Disappear” (Press 53)

FLORIDA NONFICTION:

• GOLD: Gary Mormino, St. Petersburg, “Dreams in the New Century: Instant Cities, Shattered Hopes, and Florida’s Turning Point” (University Press of Florida)
• SILVER: Bill Maxwell, Tallahassee, “Maximum Vantage New Selected Columns” (University Press of Florida)
• BRONZE: Chris Wilhelm, Brunswick, Ga., “From Swamp to Wetland: The Creation of Everglades National Park” (The University of Georgia Press)

POETRY:

• GOLD: Kate Sweeney, Seminole, “Worrisome Creatures” (Madville Publishing)
• SILVER: Collin Callahan, Tallahassee, “Thunderbird Inn” (Conduit Books & Ephemera)
• BRONZE: Heather Sellers, St. Petersburg, “Field Notes From the Flood Zone” (BOA Editions, Ltd.)

POETRY- CHAPBOOKS:

• GOLD: Brendan Walsh, Hollywood, “Concussion Fragment” (Elsewhere Micro-press)

POPULAR FICTION:

• GOLD: Jenna Kernan, Sarasota, “The Ex-Wives” (Bookouture)
• SILVER: Tamatha Cain, Jacksonville, “Song of the Chimney Sweep” (Orange Blossom Publishing)
• BRONZE: Lucy Burdette, aka Roberta Isleib, Key West, “A Dish to Die For” (Crooked Lane Books)

SPANISH LANGUAGE:

• GOLD: Félix Anesio, Miami, “Congregaciones” (Editorial Casa Bukowski)
• SILVER: Abel Sierra Madero, Miami, “El cuerpo nunca olvida: Trabajo forzado, hombre nuevo y memoria en Cuba (1959-1980)” (Rialta Ediciones)
• BRONZE: Rossana Montoya Calvo, Miami, “Un amor más sano” (Editorial Igneo)

VISUAL ARTS:

• GOLD: Text by Heather Dewar, photographs by Kristen B. Grace, edited by Beverly Sensbach, design by Hollis H. Wooley, Gainesville, “All Things Beautiful: Wonders from the Collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History” (University Press of Florida)
• SILVER: Suzan Alteri, Gainesville, “B is for Baldwin: An Alphabet Tour of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature” (University Press of Florida)

YOUNG ADULT:

• GOLD: Kate Stollenwerck, Ponte Vedra Beach, “Hello, Goodbye” (SparkPress)
• SILVER: Taylor Thomas Smythe, West Palm Beach, “Goldie: A Magic City Wonders Novel” (Lamplight Universe)
• BRONZE: Dr. Juan Phillip Chisholm, Windermere, “Mission Possible: How to Graduate From College Debt-Free” (Greenlight Books & Publishing, LLC)

The Florida Book Awards competition for the best Florida Literature has closed its submission for the 2022 awards cycle. Jurors are currently reviewing entries and we will be announcing the 2022 Florida Book Awards Winners in early March.

Established in 2006, the Florida Book Awards has grown to include awards in eleven categories of competition and is introducing a new Gold Medal for Poetry Chapbooks within the Poetry Category. Books may be submitted by authors, publishers, or members of the public in any of the eleven 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 www.floridabookawards.org/enter. All books nominated must have a 2022 copyright date and an ISBN number. Authors must be full-time Florida residents, except in the Florida Nonfiction, Visual Arts and Cooking categories, where the subject matter must focus on Florida.

JUROR INTEREST FORM

Interested in being a juror for the Florida Book Awards? Complete the form linked to indicate your interest, background and qualifications, and provide your contact information. As juror positions open in each category, the Florida Book Awards Director will refer to this list to review qualifications and interest when reaching out to potential jurors for the upcoming awards cycle.