150 Award Genres
Children
- Children - Action
- Children - Adventure
- Children - Animals
- Children - Audiobook
- Children - Christian
- Children - Coming of Age
- Children - Concept
- Children - Educational
- Children - Fable
- Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Children - General
- Children - Grade 4th-6th
- Children - Grade K-3rd
- Children - Mystery
- Children - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Children - Non-Fiction
- Children - Picture Book
- Children - Preschool
- Children - Preteen
- Children - Religious Theme
- Children - Social Issues
Christian
- Christian - Amish
- Christian - Biblical Counseling
- Christian - Devotion/Study
- Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Christian - Fiction
- Christian - General
- Christian - Historical Fiction
- Christian - Living
- Christian - Non-Fiction
- Christian - Romance - Contemporary
- Christian - Romance - General
- Christian - Romance - Historical
- Christian - Thriller
Fiction
- Fiction - Action
- Fiction - Adventure
- Fiction - Animals
- Fiction - Anthology
- Fiction - Audiobook
- Fiction - Chick Lit
- Fiction - Crime
- Fiction - Cultural
- Fiction - Drama
- Fiction - Dystopia
- Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
- Fiction - Fantasy - General
- Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
- Fiction - General
- Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
- Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
- Fiction - Historical - Personage
- Fiction - Holiday
- Fiction - Horror
- Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Fiction - Inspirational
- Fiction - Intrigue
- Fiction - LGBTQ
- Fiction - Literary
- Fiction - Magic/Wizardry
- Fiction - Military
- Fiction - Mystery - General
- Fiction - Mystery - Historical
- Fiction - Mystery - Legal
- Fiction - Mystery - Murder
- Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
- Fiction - Mythology
- Fiction - New Adult
- Fiction - Paranormal
- Fiction - Realistic
- Fiction - Religious Theme
- Fiction - Science Fiction
- Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Fiction - Social Issues
- Fiction - Southern
- Fiction - Sports
- Fiction - Supernatural
- Fiction - Suspense
- Fiction - Tall Tale
- Fiction - Thriller - Conspiracy
- Fiction - Thriller - Environmental
- Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
- Fiction - Thriller - General
- Fiction - Thriller - Legal
- Fiction - Thriller - Medical
- Fiction - Thriller - Political
- Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
- Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
- Fiction - Time Travel
- Fiction - Urban
- Fiction - Visionary
- Fiction - Western
- Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction
- Non-Fiction - Adventure
- Non-Fiction - Animals
- Non-Fiction - Anthology
- Non-Fiction - Art/Photography
- Non-Fiction - Audiobook
- Non-Fiction - Autobiography
- Non-Fiction - Biography
- Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
- Non-Fiction - Cooking/Food
- Non-Fiction - Cultural
- Non-Fiction - Drama
- Non-Fiction - Education
- Non-Fiction - Environment
- Non-Fiction - Genealogy
- Non-Fiction - General
- Non-Fiction - Gov/Politics
- Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
- Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
- Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
- Non-Fiction - Historical
- Non-Fiction - Hobby
- Non-Fiction - Home/Crafts
- Non-Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Non-Fiction - Inspirational
- Non-Fiction - LGBTQ
- Non-Fiction - Marketing
- Non-Fiction - Memoir
- Non-Fiction - Military
- Non-Fiction - Motivational
- Non-Fiction - Music/Entertainment
- Non-Fiction - New Age
- Non-Fiction - Occupational
- Non-Fiction - Parenting
- Non-Fiction - Relationships
- Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy
- Non-Fiction - Retirement
- Non-Fiction - Self Help
- Non-Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Non-Fiction - Social Issues
- Non-Fiction - Spiritual/Supernatural
- Non-Fiction - Sports
- Non-Fiction - Travel
- Non-Fiction - True Crime
- Non-Fiction - Womens
- Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
Poetry
Romance
Young Adult
- Young Adult - Action
- Young Adult - Adventure
- Young Adult - Coming of Age
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
- Young Adult - Fantasy - General
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
- Young Adult - General
- Young Adult - Horror
- Young Adult - Mystery
- Young Adult - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Young Adult - Non-Fiction
- Young Adult - Paranormal
- Young Adult - Religious Theme
- Young Adult - Romance
- Young Adult - Sci-Fi
- Young Adult - Social Issues
- Young Adult - Thriller
Illustration Award
Recommend this book:
Everyone Dies Famous
Len Joy
2021 Bronze Medal
266 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
Everyone Dies Famous by Len Joy is a work of literary fiction. It is July 2003, Maple Springs in Missouri. All around them, storms and tornadoes batter America and now one is aimed straight at their little town. Dancer Stonemason is a stubborn old fool. He lost his son, Clayton, in a car accident and his house has been sold. Forced to move in with his other son, Jim, he needs to clear the jukeboxes he and Clayton restored. Getting together with Wayne, a soldier separated from his wife, he delivers the jukeboxes to Ted Landis. A month-long drought is about to break in spectacular fashion and, as the storm approaches, Dancer decides that old scores need to be settled and Wayne discovers his wife’s affair – the only thing on his mind is revenge. As the storm barrels through the town, destroying everything in its wake, only one of them will survive.
Everyone Dies Famous by Len Joy was a riveting tale. Written in a kind of diary format, like a real-life story, it starts off after the storm and then goes back in time. A story written from the heart, it follows the lives of some very ordinary people, the way they live, their life choices, the way they die and, in places, it really does tug at the heartstrings. There are several stories here, different people whose lives are bound together in one way or another, and they all converge at one terrifying point in life. The characters were really well written, very different people, unlikely friends and allies, and although their lives are nothing short of normal, it doesn’t take long until you become invested in those lives, taking sides and hoping for the best in the worst circumstances. There’s plenty of action but it isn’t written like a thriller, more a peek at daily life, and it is enthralling reading. I really like Len Joy’s work and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to escape from their own world for a bit.
Recommend this book:
Finding George Washington
A Time Travel Tale
Bill Zarchy
2021 Silver Medal
398 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
Finding George Washington by Bill Zarchy is a time travel tale. It’s 1778 and the weather is freezing. New snow falls constantly, making life difficult for the soldiers at the Valley Forge encampment. General George Washington leaves the encampment and suffers a fall, knocking himself out. When he awakes, he is not where he should be. George Washington has vanished – and reappeared in 2014, at a San Francisco dog park. Making friends with a couple of Berkeley Students, Washington learns all about the 21st century, a time he would never have seen. But his disappearance from Valley Forge brings its own consequences. As the world begins to change, and the Giants are in a fight to make something of a bad baseball season, George and his two new friends need to find a way to get George back to where he should be before things change too much. Can George Washington get back to 1778 or is he forever stuck in the 21st century?
Finding George Washington: A Time Travel Tale by Bill Zarchy is a wonderful story. It’s funny, it's gripping reading and it's highly entertaining, a real story of the past meeting the present with comical and sometimes disastrous consequences. Baseball, time travel, this story has all the elements of an epic tale and you will struggle to put it down. It’s action all the way, in the past and the present, in a unique tale that is as far away from the normal time travel tales as it could be. With fantastically developed characters, you come to know a George Washington that you’ve only ever read about in history books personally. If you love time travel stories, if you love US history and baseball, then this is the perfect book for you.
Recommend this book:
Being Brothers
Mike DeLucia
2021 Gold Medal
216 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
Being Brothers is a nostalgia-driven, coming-of-age sports drama written by Mike DeLucia. The story is narrated by the character of Mark Marino, a New York-based author whose screenplay "Being Brothers" -- about a man named Jack Amato reminiscing his childhood in the Bronx in the early 1970s -- forms the bulk of the narrative. Eleven-year-old Jackie Amato always felt overshadowed by his older brother Sal, a baseball prodigy. But when coach Charlie George offers him a chance to play for the Panthers in the majors, he must grab the opportunity with both hands. As baseball season commences, Jackie must find a way to make his spot permanent in the team and take them to glory. In the meantime, he navigates school, friends, brotherly rivalry, and his childhood crush, Carmen Capriano.
A coming-of-age sports drama at its core, Being Brothers is filled with a sense of nostalgia. Author Mike DeLucia combines baseball and brotherly rivalry to craft an engaging tale that transports you to a time devoid of iPhones, the internet, or video games, which at times feels like an ode to the 1970s. The narrative is well-paced and written like a screenplay rather than a conventional novel. It gives a unique and almost cinematic perspective to the reader, seamlessly conveying the experiences of Jackie's childhood that shaped him into the man he later becomes in life. The characters felt relatable, and Jackie's scenes with his friends provide plenty of entertaining moments. If you love coming-of-age sports stories, I urge you to check out Being Brothers.
Recommend this book:
Dead Ball
A Novel of Murder and Passion
GP Hutchinson
2020 Finalist
447 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
It is 1912 and baseball, a young sport, is floundering to find its way. Dead Ball by GP Hutchinson is the story of Hal Gerecke and Rube Wannamaker and the role they played. Hal is a pitcher and Rube is the batter as the season is coming to an end and two last place teams are playing. Hal’s pitch hits Rube and it leaves him bleeding and unconscious at the plate. There is a very mixed reaction – some believing that Hal intentionally hit Rube, others accepting it for the accidental throw it was. Hal spends many hours in the hospital, watching Rube lying unresponsive in the bed and offering to help any way he can. Rube's wife understands it was an accident and forgives him but there are others who vow to get even and make Hal pay. Hal and his new wife are suddenly in danger and must keep a step ahead to stay alive. You must read the rest for yourself because I do not want to offer spoiler alerts to the chase and conclusion.
Dead Ball: A Novel of Murder and Passion by GP Hutchinson has it all – baseball, romance, murder, suspense, and history. I really enjoyed Dead Ball very much. The characters and plot kept me involved and rooting for Hal until the very last page. I believe that if this novel were to be made into a movie, it would skyrocket to the top of the sports category. GP Hutchinson took the history of early baseball and created a winning fictional story. I highly recommend that you put Dead Ball on the top of your reading list.
Recommend this book:
Murder at First Pitch
Ball Park Mysteries
Nicole Asselin
2020 Honorable Mention
188 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
Murder at First Pitch is the first entry in the Ball Park Mysteries by Nicole Asselin and an enjoyable read for fans of murder mystery and baseball. Thirty-two-year-old Madeline Boucher loses her corporate job and goes to work for her family's baseball business. She is the face of the business as she works as Social Media Director. But when she discovers the body of someone linked to the team, someone she's witnessed arguing with her brother at the business function, she wants to be sure that her brother is not suspected of murder. Her brother gets arrested for the murder of Christopher Dailey, a former felon and baseball scout. Maddie wants the truth and freedom for her brother. But does she know her brother, and what if the crime was actually committed by him?
This novel is well-written for fans of baseball and mystery, a story with a strong female protagonist. Madeline is a sophisticated protagonist and it is interesting to watch her go through the dilemma, caught between the quest for truth and the love for her brother. The story is well-plotted and emotionally rich. The author does a great job of making readers guess what could happen next. The short chapters and the timely paragraph breaks augment the enjoyable reading experience and build up the drama that culminates in a strong denouement. Nicole Asselin has a gift for character and knows how to explore emotions in readers. The descriptions are terrific and create strong imagery. Murder at First Pitch is absorbing and deftly written for sports fans.
Recommend this book:
Watermark
The Broken Bell series
Elise Schiller
2020 Bronze Medal
278 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
Watermark: The Broken Bell Series by Elise Schiller is a heart-breaking story of teenage angst, coming of age, family dysfunction, and poverty in the inner city. Angel Ferente is a little more damaged than your average teenager and yet, she has managed to rise above her circumstances and become a high-school sports star. Angel lives with her mother, her step-father and three half-sisters in one of the poorest areas of urban Philadelphia. Her mum, Pic, is an alcoholic, drug-taking, often absentee mother and her step-father is an unemployed, drug-dealing and abusive, layabout. For most of her eighteen years, Angel’s life has revolved around balancing caring for her three younger half-sisters, working a part-time job at the local laundromat, and attending school when she is able. What lifts her out of this grind is her love of and her excelling at competitive swimming. Swimming is a way for Angel to get away from and forget the awful realities of her daily life but, even more importantly, for Angel, it is something she is able to excel at – something that can finally give her some pride in herself as a woman. Even swimming, though, it seems will not be enough to keep Angel totally on the straight and narrow.
I found this book to be fascinating and insightful. Watermark: The Broken Bell Series delves inside a world that is not often open to inner-city children, especially those of color; the world of competitive swimming. Author Elise Schiller has produced a lead character that is both compelling and frustrating from a reader’s perspective. As a reader you just wanted to grab Angel and give her a good shake, telling her how damn special she is and how she shouldn’t waste this God-given talent that could take her places she’d never dreamt of, like college. The author told her story using three separate voices and perspectives: Angel, her sister Jeannine, and her best friend, Alex. This method was fraught with danger, from a reader’s perspective, yet the author made it work perfectly. In fact, Jeannine emerges from the tale as one of the more fascinating characters of the three and one that evinced great empathy from the reader. All of the main characters were incredibly easy to identify with and to root for. I particularly enjoyed the swimming coach and his assistant who were character summations of wonderful people all over the world who return to their roots and try to give back to the children of their own hometowns some of the opportunities they themselves were denied or were unable to achieve. Yes, the story is bittersweet in many ways but incredibly compelling and a wonderful read. I can highly recommend this story and look forward to the next iteration of the Broken Bell series.
Recommend this book:
The Conman
A Baseball Odyssey
Mike Murphey
2020 Silver Medal
311 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
The Conman: A Baseball Odyssey by Mike Murphey with Keith Comstock is an interesting way of telling a true story in a fictional manner and throws light on the lives of professional baseball players and the challenges they undergo to make it to the top leagues. This is the story of Conor Nash who was no stranger when it came to failures; he had been released from professional baseball contracts, major league teams, and minor league affiliates. Conor put his womanizing days behind him once he got married to Kate and he avoided drugs because baseball was his drug. What happens to an addict when he cannot get high again? Would it be easy for him to deal with it and get over it?
The Conman is based on the life of Keith Comstock who played baseball professionally for sixteen years. The memoir chronicles his journey, the challenges he faced, the ups and downs, his personal life, and most importantly his passion for baseball. Conor Nash and his adventures will take readers on an entertaining trip, and his sheer strength, determination, courage, and perseverance will fill readers with admiration. Keith Comstock's on and off-field encounters and moments have been woven into the story of Conor Nash. The memoir is all about hope, perseverance, and love, and will encourage readers to stay motivated while playing a sport.
The Conman also reveals the life of a sportsman, the challenges, hardships, the injuries, and sacrifices he endures to make his dream of playing for major leagues come true. This book is a treat for all baseball lovers and will make them aware of the long journey these players have to take to reach their goal. Mike Murphey's writing style is simple, neat, and elegant, and the detailed narration takes readers into the world of baseball, and the ugly side that exists under all the glamour.
Recommend this book:
The Rome of Fall
Chad Alan Gibbs
2020 Gold Medal
280 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
It all starts at Rome High School, the heart of the football-obsessed community where Marcus Brinks learns the childish ways of successful adults, dodges the steroid-driven first string gladiators and falls in love for the first and only time. In 1994, all that mattered to the students, faculty, and community members of Rome was the next big win. With fixed grades and over-inflated egos, football players rule the halls of Rome High School, the streets of Rome, and the hearts of all the females who grace those halls and accompanying streets where Marcus Brinks bides his time until he can escape the archaic attitudes of small-town living. Twenty years later, a washed-up one-time rock star, Marcus returns to be with his dying mother to find nothing has changed other than his overwhelming attraction to Becca Walsh, who this time around meets him in the middle and beyond. Just when Marcus believes that something good can come from the ridiculousness of the values in Rome, familiar threats of days gone by remind Marcus that nothing in Rome changes, even when Rome falls.
In The Rome Of Fall, Chad Alan Gibbs shares a superlative wit and mastery of the English language with such observances as “the girl who’d, since I met her half a lifetime ago, owned considerable real estate in my mind.” Starting with the thought-provokingly appropriate play-on-words title, The Rome of Fall is a delightful, heartbreaking cause and effect storyline that makes this novel a must-read. Chad Alan Gibbs is a master storyteller not to be ignored. Loved this novel! Chad Alan Gibbs is my latest favorite author.
Recommend this book:
And My Father Was There
Eight Home Runs, One Unbreakable Promise
Noah McCaffrey
2019 Finalist
284 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
And My Father Was There by Noah McCaffrey is a fictional story that is built around a true baseball legend. The main character is a young man named Laird Young the third. He is the son of a former baseball player/former soldier from World War One. As the story begins, Laird is bitter toward his father for going off to war when Laird was only three years old and then coming home badly wounded and unable to interact with him for the past 20 years. A special gift from Laird’s Mom sets him on a journey of personal discovery that will lead Laird in many unexpected directions.
And My Father Was There is about several very important themes. It’s about the history of professional baseball during the early part of the twentieth century. It also gives us a painful look at the devastating effects a war can have on a soldier and his family. Although both of those themes are played out beautifully throughout the story, they are not the main theme that brings this book to life. And My Father Was There is first and foremost a vivid picture of an imperfect but happy American family during the 1940s. This book is a slice of Americana that gave me a glimpse back in time and made me wish I was there.
McCaffrey’s characters are all colorful and relatable. His plot moved slowly, just as a character-driven story should, but it was still full of enough twists and turns so that I found it difficult to put down at times. And My Father Was There will have you laughing and crying and reading with wide eyes to see what will happen next to the loveable characters of this all-American portrait. I enjoyed it very much and I’m not even a baseball fan. At least I wasn't before. Now I find myself wanting to learn more about the early days of baseball. Great book.
Recommend this book:
The Chosen Ones
Lisa Luciano
2019 Honorable Mention
344 Pages
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Fiction - Sports
A man who has lost everything — his job, his wife and daughter — gets the one chance to redeem himself, to save a person’s life. In The Chosen Ones by Lisa Luciano, Brody gets fired from his job as a reporter and his wife leaves him. The sports editor of the newspaper gets an anonymous voicemail which claims that one of the top male skaters will be dead before the end of the Winter Olympics. The editor asks Brody to go undercover as a trainer to uncover the source of the plot. Brody knows a life hangs in the balance and time is ticking by, every minute, every day, drawing towards the end, but does he have what it takes to save a life or will he live with the guilt of not having tried hard enough?
I am not a fan of skating, but the reader gets the impression that the author did good research on the topic, allowing readers to have a detailed glimpse of what happens in big sporting competitions — the greed, the corruption, and the racism. The characters are emotionally rich and convincing. I loved the psychological depth of the protagonist, a broken man struggling to find important answers to save a life. The writing is atmospheric and the setting is vividly captured in engaging prose. Lisa Luciano uses suspense to get readers turning the pages, wondering who can possibly be the victim and who is the killer. It’s a story with a powerful premise, a strong conflict, and a gripping plot. The Chosen Ones is a good read.