Morris Award
About the Morris Award
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first given in 2009, honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The winner is announced annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards, with a shortlist of up to five titles named the first week of December. The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. Bill Morris left an impressive mark on the field of children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for promoting literature for children and teens.
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 finalist 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.
2024 Finalists
“All the Fighting Parts,” written by Hannah V. Sawyerr and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS
“Once There Was,” written by Kiyash Monsef and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
“Rez Ball,” written by Byron Graves and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
“Saints of the Household,” written by Ari Tison and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
“She Is a Haunting,” written by Trang Thanh Tran and published by Bloomsbury YA, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Members of the 2024 William C. Morris Award Committee are: Chair Kim Farnsworth, Carmichael, California; Todd Cates, Winder, Georgia; Molly Dettmann, Norman, Oklahoma; Sondra Eklund, South Riding, Virginia; Sarah Flowers, Morgan Hill, California; Jillian Hommert, Chesterfield, Missouri; Paula Langsam, Washington DC; Laura Pearle, East Boston, Massachusetts; and Maria Vivar-Guzman, Lanham, Maryland.
Previous Winners
View a complete list of previous Morris Award winners and finalists.
