Nonfiction Award

The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for those ages 12-18 during a Nov. 1-Oct. 31 publishing year. Find more information on the nonfiction award, including policies and procedures and how to nominate a title.

nonfiction awardAbout the Nonfiction Award

YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. 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.


Seal Licensing

Individuals who wish to buy small quantities of seals can find them in the ALA Online Store. nonfiction finalistPublishers 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, finalist, 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.

Suggest a Titlenonfiction award nominee

Current Winner & Finalists

Official Nomination Lists

Previous Winners

Policies and Procedures

Committee Contacts

Seals

Teen Book Finder App & Database


2023 Winner

Victory%20Stand%20Winner

Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice, by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile published by Norton Young Readers, an Imprint of W. W. Norton & Company.

In this stunningly illustrated graphic memoir, 1968 Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith recounts how his love of running and his passion for activism resulted in one of the most enduring images in sports history and the fight for civil rights.

2023 Finalists

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Abuela, Don't Forget Me, by Rex Ogle; published by, Norton Young Readers, an Imprint of W. W. Norton & Company. 9781324019954.

Touching on topics including domestic abuse, homelessness, racism, homophobia, and poverty, Ogle demonstrates how the unconditional love of his Abuela saved his life. Ogle’s powerful and moving verse memoir pays tribute to a grandmother now suffering from dementia.

American%20Murderer

American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South, by Gail Jarrow, published by Calkins Creek. 9781684378159.

Jarrow takes a close look at hookworm, the parasitic scourge that sickened and killed millions of Americans at the turn of the 20th century. Primary sources and archival photos are used to scrupulously detail how the discovery of the parasite led to a public health movement aimed at eradicating the hookworm, and how efforts to defeat similar organisms continue today.

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A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome, by Ariel Henley, published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

Ariel Henley, diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome shortly after birth, details the many grueling surgeries she faced with her twin sister and her tumultuous feelings toward the art of Pablo Picasso. Henley tells of navigating the condition, being an outsider, and facing intentional and casual cruelty as a young adult.

Unequal

Unequal: A Story of America, by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers a division Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Dedicated to revealing the history of systemic racial inequality and segregation in the United States, Dyson and Favreau connect important historical events to the current day. Included stories go beyond those of the most well-known activists to broaden the reader’s understanding of Black Americans’ fight for equality, while imploring the reader to use lessons from history to build a better future.



Members of the 2023 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee are: B. Allison Gray (Chair), Elizabeth Bast, Molly Dettmann, Katy Henderson, Loren Hinton, Dana Hutchins, Pamela Kranenburg, Bethany Martin, Heather Richard.

YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities.

Got a craving for more Nonfiction? View the 2022 Vetted Nominations List.

Previous Winners

View a complete list of Nonfiction Award winners and finalists.



2022 Nonfiction Award

2021 Nonfiction Award

2020 Nonfiction Award

2019 Nonfiction Award

2018 Nonfiction Award

2017 Nonfiction Award

2016 Nonfiction Award

2015 Nonfiction Award

2014 Nonfiction Award

2013 Nonfiction Award

2012 Nonfiction Award

2011 Nonfiction Award

2010 Nonfiction Award