Alex Awards

alex awardsAlex-AWARDSNominee_hires_WMAbout the Alex Award

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and became an official ALA award in 2002.



The award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust. Edwards pioneered young adult library services and worked for many years at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore. Her work is described in her book Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts, and over the years she has served as an inspiration to many librarians who serve young adults. The Alex Awards are named after Edwards, who was called “Alex” by her friends.

Seal Licensing

Individuals who wish to buy small quantities of seals can find them in the ALA Online Store. Publishers wishing to buy bulk seals or license seal images can find more information by consulting YALSA's Award Seals Usage Guidelines and ALA's Seals Sales & Permissions page.

If you'd like to license the winner or nominee seal, please learn more here.

Visit YALSA's Teen Book Finder Database, a one-stop shop for finding selected lists and award winners. Users can search this free resource by award, list name, year, author, genre and more, as well as print customizable lists.

Current Winners

Official Nominations

Previous Winners

Award Policies and Procedures

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Committee Information

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Teen Book Finder App

2023 Winners

View the 2023 Official Nominations

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has selected 10 adult books with special appeal to teen readers to receive the 2023 Alex Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust and Booklist, were announced today during the ALA’s LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience held January 27 – 30, in New Orleans.

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The 2023 Alex Award winners are:

  • A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, by Sophie Irwin, published by Pamela Dorman Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House (9780593491348)
  • Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, by R. F. Kuang, published by Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins (9780063021426)
  • Chef’s Kiss, by Jarrett Melendez, illustrated by Danica Brine, published by Oni Press, an imprint of Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group (9781620109045)
  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan, published by Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins (9780063031302)
  • I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy, published by Simon & Schuster (9781982185824)
  • Solito: A Memoir, by Javier Zamora, published by Hogarth, an imprint of RandomHouse, a division of Penguin Random House (9780593498064)
  • The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere., written and illustrated by James Spooner, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins (9780358659112)
  • The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi, published by Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan (9780765389121)
  • True Biz, by Sara Nović, published by Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House (9780593241509)
  • Wash Day Diaries, by Jamila Rowser, illustrated by Robyn Smith, published by Chronicle Books (9781797205458)

Members of the 2023 Alex Awards Committee are: Members of the 2023 Alex Awards Committee are: Chair Jane Gov, Pasadena Public Library, California; Heather Christensen, Portales High School, New Mexico; Aryssa Damron, District of Columbia Public Library, Washington, D.C.; Sara Day, Woodland Public Library, Woodland, California; Kendra Fitzpatrick, City of Santa Clarita Public Libraries, California; Elizabeth Page, Pasadena, California; Kayla Payne, Alexandria Public Library, Virginia; Cathy Rettberg, Retired Librarian, Menlo School, Atherton, California; and, Melody Scagnelli-Town, Bayonne Public Library, New Jersey.

View the official 2023 Nominated List!

Previous Winners