Regional
Minnesota Book Awards
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
In short
The Minnesota Book Awards are run by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library for print books by authors who live in Minnesota year round, in ten categories from picture books to poetry. Winners receive $750, a glass sculpture, and library events that put finalists in front of readers across the state. Authors, publishers, and agents may submit. Check whether your publisher is entering; if not, you can enter yourself, pay the $45 fee or request the needs-based waiver, and send six copies.
Deadline November 20, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
The Minnesota Book Awards, run by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, recognize books by year-round Minnesota residents in ten categories: Anthology (biennial), Children's Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir and Creative Nonfiction, Middle Grade Literature, Minnesota Nonfiction, Novel and Short Story, Poetry, and Young Adult Literature.
Authors, publishers, or agents may submit. For the current cycle, books must carry a 2026 copyright, and the deadline is Friday, November 20, 2026 at 5 p.m. Each entry requires six copies and a $45 fee; a needs-based fee waiver is available to authors who submit their own books. Self-published books are accepted if they meet the other requirements. Ebooks, plays, and screenplays aren't eligible, and books with AI-generated text or illustrations aren't accepted.
Authors must maintain year-round resident status in Minnesota as defined by the state Department of Revenue. Finalists are announced at the end of January and winners at the awards ceremony in spring 2027. Each winner receives $750 and a glass sculpture, and the program runs library events with finalists.
Why it may matter
This is a well-organized state program with a clear rulebook, open self-published entry, and a library partner that promotes finalists to readers across Minnesota. The six-copy requirement and November deadline mean a Minnesota author publishing late in the year should set copies aside before the launch stock runs down.
2027 cycle: 2027 Minnesota Book Awards (books with a 2026 copyright)
- Eligible publication dates
- January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026
- Entries open
- August 10, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Final deadline
- November 20, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Deadline note
- Submissions due Friday, November 20, 2026 at 5 p.m. Central
- Entry fee
- $45 per entry for the first four books from a publisher; $20 each for additional books from the same publisher; needs-based fee waiver available for author-submitters (six physical copies still required; waiver does not apply when a publisher or agent submits)Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Finalists announced at the end of January each year; all winners announced at the Awards Ceremony in Spring 2027
| Tier | Deadline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First four books from a publisher | See rules | $45 |
| Additional books from the same publisher | See rules | $20 |
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
The AI rule is explicit: books with AI-generated or AI-illustrated content are not accepted. The fee waiver applies only when the author is the submitter, not when a publisher enters on the author's behalf.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
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