The Florida Book Awards (FBA), a statewide literary awards initiative managed by Florida State University Libraries, has unveiled the winners of its 2024 awards program. This year, a panel of judges recognized 31 books with accolades and bestowed honorable mentions on two further titles.
The 19th annual contest showcased 190 eligible works submitted across 11 categories for publications released in 2024. Each recipient will be highlighted in an article published by FORUM Magazine, as part of the FBA’s continuous collaboration with Florida Humanities.
“Florida has consistently been a vibrant center for literary creativity,” stated Keith Simmons, executive director of the Florida Book Awards. “This initiative provides an annual chance to commend and promote the dedication and innovation of Florida authors, in addition to assisting them in reaching new audiences both within and beyond Florida.”
Although the majority of categories necessitate participants to be Florida residents, three categories—Florida Nonfiction, Visual Arts, and Cooking—do not stipulate a residency criterion and must concentrate their subject matter on Florida.
Writers from various regions of the state will be celebrated at the annual Abitz Family Dinner & Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 3, at Cascades Park in Tallahassee.
Further events include an authors’ gathering at Midtown Reader in Tallahassee on Friday, April 4. The festivities align with the Word of South Festival, taking place over the weekend of April 4-6.
For additional details, visit floridabookawards.org.
2024 Florida Book Awards Winners by Category:
Cooking
- GOLD: The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook, Dalia Colón
- SILVER: Modern Cuban, Ana Quincoces
Florida Nonfiction
- PHILLIP AND DANA ZIMMERMAN GOLD MEDAL PRIZE: Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration, Christopher Meindl
- SILVER: Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People, Evan Bennett
- BRONZE: Tracing Florida’s Journeys: Explorers, Travelers, and Landscapes Then and Now, Leslie Kemp Poole
General Fiction
- GOLD: Dressing the Saints, Aracelis González Asendorf
- SILVER: The Best That You Can Do: Stories, Amina Gautier
- BRONZE: Bomb Island, Stephen Hundley
General Nonfiction
- GOLD: John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community, Raymond Arsenault
- SILVER: Melted Away: A Memoir of Climate Change and Caregiving in Peru, Barbara Drake-Vera
- BRONZE: You Paid for This: My 25 Years Investigating Insurance Crimes, Richard Wickliffe
- HONORABLE MENTION: The Life and Death of Ryan White: AIDS and Inequality in America, Paul M. Renfro
Older Children’s Literature
- JEAN E. LOWRIE GOLD MEDAL: The Lost Forest: An Unexpected Discovery Beneath the Waves, Jennifer Swanson
- SILVER: Create A Small Wave, Kerry O’Malley Cerra
- BRONZE: Mature, Luchy Zapata, Alexandra Alessandri
Poetry
- GOLD: 2000 Blacks, Ajibola Tolase
- SILVER: Luminous Existence, Animal Soul, Laura Minor
- BRONZE: Homeland of Swarms, Oriette D’Angelo
Popular Fiction
- GOLD: Unknown Land, Steph Post
- SILVER: Edison’s Final Exhale, Patrick Kendrick
- BRONZE: Diamonds Cleave, Thomas B. Cavanagh
- HONORABLE MENTION: Killing of a Deceased Person, Holly Newman
Spanish Language
- GOLD: The Train of the Invisible, Gabriela Caballero
- SILVER: Hampi, River Coello
- BRONZE: 45 de Agosto y otras obras dramáticas, Carmen Duarte
Visual Arts
- GOLD: Dry Tortugas: Fortress of Nature, Ian Wilson-Navarro
- SILVER: Dusk Colonies: A Visual Tribute to Florida’s Mobile Home Communities, Diego Alejandro Waisman
Young Adult Literature
- GWEN P. REICHERT GOLD MEDAL AWARD: What We Desire, Melody Maysonet
- SILVER: Covalence: The Linked Series, Book One, Andie L. Smith
- BRONZE: Valuable, Amy Nielsen
Literature for Young Children
- GOLD: Mango Remembrances, Sita Singh
- SILVER: We Are a Class, Rob Sanders
- BRONZE: Goodnight Classroom, Catherine Bailey
The Gold Medal recipient for the Young Adult Literature category will receive the “Gwen P. Reichert Gold Medal for Young Children’s Literature.” This distinguished recognition is dedicated to Gwen P. Reichert’s memory and serves as an enduring tribute to acknowledge her achievements as a collector of rare books, supporter of authors and their readers, and her dedication to children’s education.
The “Jean Lowrie Gold Medal for Literature for Older Children” was created by Wayne and Shirley Wiegand to commemorate one of Wayne’s mentors. Jean Lowrie advocated tirelessly for effective practices in school librarianship throughout her career as a librarian, faculty member, and director of the Western Michigan University School of Librarianship.
The “Phillip and Dana Zimmerman Gold Medal for Nonfiction from Florida” was founded by former FSU Libraries Dean, Julia Zimmerman, in homage to her parents.
The article FSU Libraries declares 2024 Florida Book Awards winners surfaced first on Florida State University News.