The Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award was established as part of the Florida Book Awards and will annually honor a developing Florida author. The award defines "Developing" as a writer who has shown exceptional talent and the potential for continued literary success and significance in the future. The award is accompanied by a $1000 prize and a copy of each of Gerald Ensley's two books, We Found Paradise: Gerald Ensley on the History and Eccentricities of His Beloved Tallahassee and Write the Way You Would Talk, his advice on interviewing and writing.

Nomination Criteria

• The nominee must be a Florida resident who has written and published at least one but no more than two books of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or any of the other Florida Book Award categories.
• The nominee must be of demonstrated ability and show promise for continued growth.
• A complete list of the nominee’s publishing credits must be included in the nomination packet.

Nomination Packet

• Cover Letter: This letter should include the contact information of the nominee as well as the person nominating the emerging author. This letter is in addition to the required three letters of support.
• Nominee Information: Short biography or CV
• Letters of Support: Three letters of support, one must come from the nominator, submitted on behalf of the nominee no more than 250 words each. The letters of support may be from publishers, fellow writers, editors, students, or friends and address the quality of the nominee’s literary works or potential works.

All submissions are to be sent to floridabookawards@gmail.com and include Ensley Developing Writer Award in the subject line. Failure to submit all nomination materials requested will result in disqualification of the nominee. The award will be voted on by members of the Florida Book Awards and FSU Libraries administration.

Nominations will be accepted until December 12th, 2025.

Ensley Award Winners

2025 Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Recipient

River Selby

River Selby, a nonbinary and autistic writer, was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. They worked as a wildland firefighter for seven years, stationed out of California, Oregon, Colorado, and Alaska. River is currently a Kingsbury and Legacy Fellow at Florida State University, where they are pursuing their PhD in Nonfiction with an emphasis in archival research and post 20th Century Literature and Culture. 

River, a first generation high-school and college graduate, has been an avid reader and writer since childhood, though they didn't seriously pursue the craft until 2012, when they ended their career in fire and began undergraduate studies at Syracuse University. River now holds an MFA in fiction from Syracuse. Their debut hybrid memoir, Hotshot: A Life on Fire, received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly, and was chosen as a Best Nonfiction Book of 2025 by Kirkus Reviews. River's work has been published in High Country News, Vox, Allure, Tricycle Buddhist Review, and Autostraddle. Their short story, "How Certain Fires Burn," won the Boulevard Magazine short fiction award for emerging writers. River is currently working on a memoir about surviving their mother's suicide as well as a sci-fi novel. They live in Tallahassee, FL.

2023 Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Recipient

Rebecca Renner

Rebecca Renner is a contributor to National Geographic, and her writing has appeared The New York Times, Outside Magazine, Tin House, The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. She holds an MFA from Stetson University. Gator Country is her debut.

2022 Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Recipient

Shana Smith

Congratulations to Shana Smith, the recipient of the 2022 Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award. Shana is an avid and longtime practitioner of Zen, and is an assistant teacher for Sanbo Zen International. Shana's first book, Meditation for Moms and Dads: 108 Tips for Mindful Parents and Caregivers, was the result of navigating Zen practice while raising her two children. Islands of Cedars is her first novel, directly inspired by her love of wild Florida and her wish to celebrate its best qualities while mindfully bringing awareness to current environmental threats, racial inequity, and a need for balanced history.

2021 Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Recipient 

Johnny Bell

Congratulations to Johnny Bell, the inaugural recipient of the Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award. Johnny Bell teaches at the PK Yonge Developmental Research School at the University of Florida and has published two books for young readers, Take the Shot and The Dirt Court.