Guidelines
THE 25TH ANNUAL MASSACHUSETTS BOOK AWARDS WILL OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS IN SEPTEMBER 2024
The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize compelling works of Massachusetts (1) fiction, (2) nonfiction, (3) poetry, (4) children’s picture books/early readers, (5) middle-grade/young adult literature, (6) translated literature, and (7) graphic novel/memoir. Additionally, the Notable Contribution to Publishing award recognizes the exceptional output of the Massachusetts publishing community.
No entry fee is required. Authors, illustrators, or translators must be current residents of Massachusetts. All submissions must bear a 2024 copyright date unless stated otherwise.
The program develops longlists for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s picture books/early reader, and middle-grade/young adult. Once it assesses the strength of submissions in the new category of translated literature, the program will determine how best to promote achievements in this field.
The long-listed titles are promoted throughout the Commonwealth and at selected regional and/or national conferences and meetings.
From the long lists, ONE award winner and TWO honors titles will be named in each category. Those authors/books will be celebrated in an awards event at the Massachusetts State House. All award, honors, and long-listed books are added to Special Collections at the State Library of Massachusetts, promoted throughout the Commonwealth, and featured at National Book Festival. In the translated literature, graphic novel/memoir , and Notable Contribution to Publishing categories ONE awardee will be recognized.
Submitting a Book:
Complete the online entry form. Then send TWO copies of each book nominated to the address below. If a book is long-listed, Mass Center for the Book will call for additional reading copies.
Deadline: THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 15, 2024.
Mailing Address for awards submissions:
Mass Center for the Book
17 New South Street, Ste 302,
Northampton, MA 01060
Attn: Book Awards
Please DO NOT require a signature as that will delay delivery.
Categories and Eligibility
Award Categories
Fiction: Full-length novels & collections of short stories by a single author are eligible. Collaborations are eligible if both (all) authors are current residents of Massachusetts.
Nonfiction: Full-length works of general nonfiction and collections of essays by a single author are eligible. Anthologies/collaborations are eligible if ALL authors are Massachusetts-based. At present, the MassBook Awards program does not review advice, self-help, cookbooks, textbooks, or how-to books.
Poetry: Collections of poetry by a single author are eligible. A collection may consist entirely of new poems or of a new selection of work from throughout a writer’s career. Chapbooks are eligible. Anthologies/collaborations are eligible if ALL poets are current residents of Massachusetts.
Children’s / Young Adult Literature: Picture, early-reader, middle-grade, and young-adult books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are eligible. Guidelines for topic, collaboration, and originality are the same as those for adult books in each category, with the following NEW exception: titles are eligible if either the author OR the illustrator is a resident of Massachusetts.
Translated Literature: Mass Center for the Book invites submission of works that were translated by Massachusetts permanent residents (adult and younger reader audiences welcome). This award is biannual; submissions will be accepted in odd-numbered years. Books published in 2024 and 2025 will be considered for the 2025 awards cycle.
Graphic Novel/Memoir: Full-length graphic novels, graphic memoirs, or works of graphic non-fiction are eligible. Authors and illustrators must be Massachusetts-based. Works intended for all age-groups (adult, YA/middle grade, and early readers) will be considered. This award is biannual; submissions will be accepted in even-numbered years. Books published in 2023 and 2024 will be considered for the 2024 awards cycle.
Notable Contribution to Publishing: Massachusetts publishers and presses are invited to submit up to one title annually that is representative of the high caliber of their work. This new category considers the quality of the book as object—including production standards, design, and printing. (Books may be written by Massachusetts-based or out-of-state authors.) Winning publishers will receive a $500 prize and will be recognized at the annual Massachusetts Book Awards ceremony.
General Eligibility Guidelines
1. Books must have been written, illustrated, or translated by permanent residents of Massachusetts. Those on temporary placement or those who are regular vacationers to the Commonwealth but who maintain residency elsewhere are not considered permanent residents. Writers must be living in Massachusetts at the time their books are submitted and must continue as permanent residents at the time the awards are announced.
2. Any individual, organization, or company may enter a book in any appropriate category.
3. Anthologies or collaborations are eligible if ALL authors are Massachusetts-based.
4. Self-published books are not eligible. Should a self-published author have created a press/imprint, that press must have published at least one additional author for the book to not be considered self-published for the purpose of this award.
5. Books must have been copyrighted in their original format during the calendar year 2024.
6. An author may be recognized for more than one book per year. Books by authors who have previously won a MassBook award are eligible.
7. All books become property of the MassBook Awards program. Note: Mass Center for the Book cannot be responsible for returning any submissions deemed ineligible; nor can it return extra copies of any submission.
8. Submission of a title confirms the following: Massachusetts Center for the Book has permission to use the book cover, excerpts from the text, and publicity notices in any promotion of the Awards.
9. Each category has its own judging panel which draws from a variety of reading communities. The Massachusetts Center for the Book and the MassBook judges resolve all questions about eligibility; the judges determine the award winners. The decisions of the panels are final.
10. The MassBook Medal: From time to time, the Massachusetts Center for the Book will award the Massachusetts Book Medal to a person or organization in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the Massachusetts community of the book. The committee does not accept formal application for this award. Past recipients of the Medal have included Stanley Kunitz, Eric Carle, PEN New England, and Reach Out and Read.