Entries for the 25th annual Nebraska Book Awards are now being accepted!
The competition is open to Nebraska authors, Nebraska publishers, and other authors or publishers of books set in or relating to Nebraska. Books published in 2023, as indicated by the copyright date, are eligible for nomination in 2024. They must be professionally published, have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and be bound.
You can submit a book to be entered in one or more of the following categories: Children/Young Adult, Cover/Design/Illustration, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. Certificates will be awarded to the winners in each category, and they will be invited out to participate as featured authors at the October 12th, 2024 Nebraska Celebration of Books in Lincoln. The event will culminate in an awards ceremony for the authors, publishers, and their families, where winning books will be displayed and authors will have the opportunity to read from and sign their books.
Interested in learning more about previous winners? You can find a complete list of information on all 25 years of Nebraska Book Award winners, including the title, author, publisher, and category won, here: https://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards/winners/nebook.html
Spring is right around the corner! If you’re looking for something to do this March, here are some upcoming literary events* that may pique your interest!
March 2nd, 2024 Write on Writers’ Workshop with Heidi Hermanson AV Sorensen Community Center, 4808 Cass St. Omaha, NE, 12:00 – 2:00 pm Taught by Heidi Hermanson, Nebraska author and recipient of the 2021 Nebraska Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship. Improve your skills, meet other writers, and learn new techniques!
March 5, 2024 Barbara Schmitz Poetry Reading & Discussion Zoom, 6:30 – 7:30 pm Barbara has touched many lives through her long and lustrous literary career in Nebraska. Now, she shares her poetry and her wisdom.
March 9, 2024 Poetry Out Loud State Finals Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R St. Lincoln, NE, 1:00 – 3:30 pm Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide poetry recitation contest where high school students memorize poems they choose from a list of classic and modern poems and bring them to life by how they deliver them. Seven schools have chosen a representative and the winner will represent Nebraska at the National Finals
March 9, 2024 Book Launch with Alison Pearce Stevens – “Animal Climate Heros” Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St. Lincoln, NE, 4:30 – 5:30 pm Nebraska Book Award winner Alison Pearce Stevens will be signing books, talking about her new book, and sharing her love of natural science with guests.
March 16, 2024 National Slam Poetry Competition Qualifying Event Larksong, 1600 N Cotner Blvd. Lincoln, NE, 3:00 pm The Nebraska Poetry Society is hosting the Qualifying Slam for residents for the chance to compete at the BlackBerry Peach National Slam Poetry Competition!
March 16, 2024 Visting Author – Chris Harding Thornton – “Little Underworld” Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St. Lincoln, NE, 4:30 – 5:30 pm Written by seventh-generation Nebraskan Chris Harding Thornton, “Little Underworld” is a darkly funny historical fiction that takes place in Omaha, Nebraska. She will be discussing her new book with Nebraskan author Timothy Schaffert.
March 17, 2024 Poetry Workshop with Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center, 9325 Alda Rd. S Wood River, NE, 2:00 – 3:00 pm Matt will share his new poem commissioned by Crane Trust, as well as other bird-themed poems. He will also guide a writing exercise for participants to write their own poems.
Check out the NCB Calendar to stay up to date on upcoming literary events happening near you!
*The time, date, and location of these events are subject to change. Some of this month’s events, workshops, or conferences may require registration or charge a fee.
Feel free to contact us if you have an event that you would like to be featured.
