Coretta Scott King Book Awards

About the Coretta Scott King Book Awards
Designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.  Further, the Award encourages the artistic expression of the black experience via literature and the graphic arts in biographical, social, and historical treatments by African American authors and illustrators.

Administered by:

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Author Honor

2023 Honor(s)

“Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler,” written by Ibi Zoboi and published by Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House

“The Talk,” written by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

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

Illustrator Winner

2023 Winner(s)

Standing in the need of Prayer

“Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual,” illustrated by Frank Morrison, is the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Book winner. The book is written by Carole Boston Weatherford and published by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House.

Author Winner

2023 Winner(s)

Freewater

“Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is the Coretta Scott King Author Book winner. The book is published by JIMMY Patterson/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Illustrator Honor

2023 Honor(s)

Me and the Boss: A Story about Mending and Love,” illustrated by April Harrison, written by Michelle Edwards and published by Anne Schwartz Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House

“Swim Team,” illustrated and written by Johnnie Christmas and published by HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

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