YALSA announces 2026 William C. Morris finalists

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), selected five books as finalists for the 2026 William C. Morris Award, which honors the year’s best books written for adults by a previously unpublished author.

YALSA will name the 2026 award winner at the ALA Youth Media Awards on January 26, 2026, at the Hilton Chicago.

The 2026 William C. Morris Award finalists are:

“All the Noise at Once,” written by DeAndra Davis, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

“First Love Language,” written by Stefany Valentine, and published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.

“Love, Misha,” written and illustrated by Askel Aden, and published by First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.

“Red Flags and Butterflies,” written by Sheryl Azzam, and published by DCB Young Readers, an imprint of Cormorant Books Inc.

“You and Me on Repeat,” written and illustrated by Mary Shyne, and published by Henry Holt  Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

“Our committee members were truly impressed by the sheer number of beautifully written books by debut authors,” said B. Allison Gray, chair of the 2026 William C. Morris Award Committee. “It was incredibly difficult to narrow the selections down to just five titles. We all thought it was wonderful that so many publishers recognized and encouraged all of these debut authors.”

The Morris Award is named after William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. William “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.

More information on the finalists and the award can be found on the Morris Award page. Publishers and library staff can purchase finalist seals to place on the finalist titles at www.ala.org/awardsgrants/seals.

Members of the 2026 William C. Morris Award Committee are: Chair B. Allison Gray, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Anne Dame, Einstein Middle School, Washington; Sara Huff, Abington Township Public Library, Abington, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Elvidge Nelson, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, Michigan; Carrie Richmond, Racine Public Library, Racine, Wisconsin; Keiko Sanders, Kitsap Regional Library, Washington; Nikki Shaw, Harris County Public Library (HCPL), Houston, Texas; Molly Sprague-Rice, Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, Indiana

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is networking, advocacy and professional development. The Young Adult Library Services Association empowers all those involved in the profession to provide equitable, diverse and inclusive teen services. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources, please visit www.ala.org/yalsa.

For more information on the William C. Morris Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For nearly 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.