Morris Award

morris finalist seal

morris winner sealAbout the Morris Award

The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first given in 2009, honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.  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.  The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. Bill Morris left an impressive mark on the field of children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for promoting literature for children and teens.


Seal Licensing

Individuals who wish to buy small quantities of seals can find them in the ALA Online Store. Publishers 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 or finalist 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.

Previous Winners  

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Policies & Procedures 

Morris Award Committee Manual

Committee Contacts 

Seals

2024 Winner

“Rez Ball”

Written by Byron Graves

Published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Ojibwe teen Tre works towards his dream of making the high school varsity basketball team and winning the state tournament, all while navigating friendships, romance, and the grief of losing and living in the shadow of his late older brother.

“Rez Ball impressed us with its authentic voice, well-developed characters and exciting action scenes as it explored grief, prejudice, friendships, family and community.” said Morris Award Chair Kim Keown Farnsworth.

2024 Finalists

“All the Fighting Parts”

Written by Hannah V. Sawyerr

Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS

“Once There Was”

Written by Kiyash Monsef

Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

“Saints of the Household”

Written by Ari Tison

Published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC

“She Is a Haunting”

Written by Trang Thanh Tran

Published by Bloomsbury YA, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Members of the 2024 William C. Morris Award Committee are: Chair Kim Farnsworth, Carmichael, California; Todd Cates, Winder, Georgia; Molly Dettmann, Norman, Oklahoma; Sondra Eklund, South Riding, Virginia; Sarah Flowers, Morgan Hill, California; Jillian Hommert, Chesterfield, Missouri; Paula Langsam, Washington DC; Laura Pearle, East Boston, Massachusetts; and Maria Vivar-Guzman, Lanham, Maryland.

 


Previous Winners

View a complete list of previous Morris Award winners and finalists.

2023 Morris Award

2022 Morris Award

2021 Morris Award

2020 Morris Award

2019 Morris Award

2018 Morris Award

2017 Morris Award

2016 Morris Award

2015 Morris Award

2014 Morris Award

2013 Morris Award

2012 Morris Award

2011 Morris Award

2010 Morris Award

2009 Morris Award