FSU Libraries announces 2022 Florida Book Awards winners

The Florida Book Awards, coordinated by the Florida State University Libraries, announced winners this month for the nation’s most comprehensive state book awards program established in 2006 to celebrate the best of Florida literature.

“In many respects, the breadth of award-winning books and authors reflects the variety of the state’s literary culture,” said Nikki Morse, director of the awards.

“Since the program began, it has been the only state book awards program with a Spanish Language book category. This year also sees the introduction of a new award within the Poetry category, the Gold Medal for Poetry: Chapbooks.”

The 17th annual competition featured 150 eligible publications submitted across 11 categories for books published in 2022. To be eligible, authors must be full-time Florida residents — except in the Florida nonfiction, visual arts and cooking categories, where the subject matter must focus on Florida.

Winning authors from across the state will be honored at the annual awards banquet Thursday, April 20, at Parkview at Cascades in Tallahassee. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit floridabookawards.org.

Florida Book Awards 2022 winners by category:

Young children's literature

GOLD: Jennifer Swanson, Jacksonville, “Footprints Across the Planet” (Reycraft Books)SILVER: Jen Arena, Tampa, “Acorn Was a Little Wild” (Simon & Schuster)BRONZE: Ana Siqueira, Palm Harbor, “If Your Babysitter is a Bruja” (Simon & Schuster)BRONZE: Henry Cole, Fort Lauderdale, “Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story” (Scholastic Press)

Older children's literature

GOLD: Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Coral Gables, “The Bluest Sky” (Knopf Books)SILVER: Sandra Markle, Lakewood Ranch, “Secrets of the Lost City: A Scientific Adventure in the Honduran Rain Forest” (Lerner Publishing Group)BRONZE: Rodman Philbrick, Marathon, “We Own the Sky” (Scholastic Press)

Cooking

GOLD: Andrew T. Huse, Bárbara C. Cruz and Jeff Houck, Tampa, “The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers” (University Press of Florida)

General Nonfiction

GOLD: Ronald Gruner, Naples, “We the Presidents: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century” (Libratum Press LLC)SILVER: Noemi Figueroa Soulet, Kissimmee, “The Borinqueneers: A Visual History of the 65th Infantry” (LSU Press)BRONZE: Dr. Doug Mader, Big Pine Key, “The Vet at Noah’s Ark” (Apollo Publishers)

General fiction

GOLD: David Sanchez, Coral Gables, “All Day is a Long Time” (Harper Books)SILVER: Kim Bradley, St. Augustine, “Spillway” (Stephen F. Austin State University Press)BRONZE: Tara Lynn Masih, St. Augustine, “How We Disappear” (Press 53)