Category: Awards

2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Winner Announced

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The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction finalists. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for a $3500 prize to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia
Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner is:

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky by Josh Galarza
(Henry Holt and Co. / Macmillan Publishers)

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalists are

Rez Ball by Byron Graves
(Heartdrum / HarperCollins)

Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu
(Harry N. Abrams / Hachette)

Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / Simon & Schuster)

Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldivar
(Dial Books / Penguin Random House)

The winning title and finalists will be honored at the 2025 ALAN Workshop on Monday, November 24th in Denver, CO, and the authors will be invited to participate in a panel discussion.

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation, the ALAN Executive Council, the ALAN Board of Directors, NCTE, and the many publishers who submitted titles for consideration.

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee considered over 300 young adult titles throughout the process. The committee was comprised of nine members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:

Jung Kim, Ph.D., Committee Chair
Professor of Literacy
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL

L.E. Oldham, Ph.D., Past Committee Chair
English Language Arts Content Specialist
Deming Public Schools, Deming, NM

Shanetia P. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of Literacy
Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD

Liz Deskins
Retired school librarian
Hilliard City Schools, Columbus, OH

Christian Gregory, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Saint Anselm College, Goffstown, NH

Julie Hatcher
Library Media Specialist
Owyhee High School, Meridian, ID

Zainab Jabak
Secondary English Language Arts Teacher
Taylor High School, Houston, TX

Chris Lewis, Ph.D.
English Learner Teacher on Special Assignment
Mountain View High School, El Monte, CA

Lori Lieberman
Teacher Librarian
Lincoln High School, Portland, OR

T. Hunter Strickland
Assistant Professor of Reading, Literacy, and Language
Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA

Karimah Tennyson-Marsh, MFA
8th ELA Instructor/ELA Dept. Chair
Century Community Charter School, Los Angeles CA

2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalists Announced

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2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner Announced

Download Official Press Release of the 2025 Walden FinalistsDownload

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction finalists. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for a $3500 prize to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:

Rez Ball by Byron Graves
(Heartdrum / HarperCollins)

Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / Simon & Schuster)

Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu
(Harry N. Abrams / Hachette)

Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldivar
(Dial Books / Penguin Random House)

The winning title and finalists will be honored at the 2025 ALAN Workshop on Monday, November 24th in Denver, CO, and the authors will be invited to participate in a panel discussion.

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation, the ALAN Executive Council, the ALAN Board of Directors, NCTE, and the many publishers who submitted titles for consideration.

The 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee considered over 300 young adult titles throughout the process. The committee was comprised of nine members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:

Jung Kim, Ph.D., Committee Chair
Professor of Literacy
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL

L.E. Oldham, Ph.D., Past Committee Chair
English Language Arts Content Specialist
Deming Public Schools, Deming, NM

Shanetia P. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of Literacy
Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD

Liz Deskins
Retired school librarian
Hilliard City Schools, Columbus, OH

Christian Gregory, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Saint Anselm College, Goffstown, NH

Julie Hatcher
Library Media Specialist
Owyhee High School, Meridian, ID

Zainab Jabak
Secondary English Language Arts Teacher
Taylor High School, Houston, TX

Chris Lewis, Ph.D.
English Learner Teacher on Special Assignment
Mountain View High School, El Monte, CA

Lori Lieberman
Teacher Librarian
Lincoln High School, Portland, OR

T. Hunter Strickland
Assistant Professor of Reading, Literacy, and Language
Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA

Karimah Tennyson-Marsh, MFA
8th ELA Instructor/ELA Dept. Chair
Century Community Charter School, Los Angeles CA

For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents http://www.alan-ya.org/awards/walden-award/

2024 Nilsen-Donalson Award Announced

2024 Nilsen-Donalson Award Announced

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ALAN’s 2024 winner of the Nilsen-Donalson Award is Julianna L. Kershen for her ALAN Review article “Magic as Emancipatory in the Magical Realism Novels of Jewell Parker Rhodes.”

Established by the ALAN Board in 2011 and funded through the generous donations of Alleen Pace Nilsen and Don Nilsen, the Nilsen-Donelson Award is given to the author(s) of the best article published in The ALAN Review during a particular volume year. It recognizes excellence in scholarship in the field of YA literature, scholarship exemplified by former ALAN leaders, Dr. Alleen Pace Nilsen and Dr. Ken Donelson. Recipients are awarded an honorarium and a one-year extension on membership in ALAN. Award recipients are recognized annually at the ALAN Breakfast during the NCTE Convention.

Learn more about this award at https://alan-ya.org/awards/the-nilsen-donaldson-award/.

2024 Bill Konigsberg Award Winner Announced

2024 Bill Konigsberg Award Winner Announced

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ALAN’s 2024 recipient of the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion through Literature is Jason Westra-Hall!

Meet Jason Westra-Hall, our newest Bill Konigsberg Award winner, from Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge, Michigan! Mr. Westra-Hall is an English teacher who is also a Model UN advisor, the head of his school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, and is the leader of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professional Learning Committee, where he guides other teachers in promoting those ideals. He is also the representative at-large for the Michigan Council of Teachers of English. Through his work both in and out of the classroom, Jason supports his students through academics and extracurriculars, giving his students a safe space in which to feel that they belong.  We are proud to bestow this award on such a champion for LGBTQIA+ youth!

The Konigsberg Award, established in 2018, is presented annually to an individual who has acted in selfless advocacy of marginalized youth through the creation, teaching, funding or other form of promotion of young adult literature. This award was initiated to recognize individuals standing up for groups of young people who are victimized by hate speech or actions. For wielding the power of young adult literature with thought and intention to make the world a better place, the winner will be recognized at the ALAN Breakfast.

To learn more about the award and see past winners, visit https://alan-ya.org/awards/the-konigsberg-award/.

Press Release: Lee & Low wins the ALAN Award 2024

Press Release: Lee & Low wins the ALAN Award 2024

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)

Press Release: Lee & Low wins the ALAN Award 2024

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) is pleased to announce Lee & Low Books as the recipient of the 2024 ALAN Award. The award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. Join us at the ALAN Breakfast to celebrate Lee & Low’s remarkable accomplishments.

Lee & Low Books is the largest independent multicultural children’s book publisher in the United States. The family-run and certified 100% Minority Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) produces award-winning, high-quality books that are about everyone, for everyone — from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels as well as a wide selection of bilingual and Spanish language titles. Lee & Low’s commitment to greater representation in the publishing industry is reflected in the often-cited Diversity Baseline Survey and in the writing contests for unpublished writers of color or Indigenous/Native writers: New Voices Award and New Visions Award.

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) is pleased to announce Lee & Low Books as the recipient of the 2024 ALAN Award. The award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. Join us at the ALAN Breakfast to celebrate Lee & Low’s remarkable accomplishments.

Lee & Low Books is the largest independent multicultural children’s book publisher in the United States. The family-run and certified 100% Minority Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) produces award-winning, high-quality books that are about everyone, for everyone — from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels as well as a wide selection of bilingual and Spanish language titles. Lee & Low’s commitment to greater representation in the publishing industry is reflected in the often-cited Diversity Baseline Survey and in the writing contests for unpublished writers of color or Indigenous/Native writers: New Voices Award and New Visions Award.

Over the decades since they were founded, Lee & Low Books has pushed for industry change in remarkable ways and established inventive and sustainable initiatives to support and nurture many authors and illustrators, increasing diversity in the literature available to librarians, educators, and most importantly, young readers.

Publisher Jason Low will provide remarks on behalf of Lee & Low Books at the upcoming ALAN breakfast to be held on November 23, during the 2024 NCTE Conference in Boston, MA. The members of the 2024 ALAN Award Committee are Chair Dr. Rob Bittner, Past Chair Shalonda Foster, Tracey Flores, Morgan Jackson, and Karimah Tennyson-Marsh.

Register for the ALAN Breakfast at https://convention.ncte.org/registration/ when you register for NCTE and/or ALAN.

2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner & Finalists Announced

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)

2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner & Finalists Announced

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the 2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction finalists. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for a cash prize to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The 2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner is:

Saints of the Household by Ari Tison
(Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers / Macmillan)


The 2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
(Random House Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House)


An Appetite for Miracles by Laekan Zea Kemp
(Little, Brown and Company / Hachette)


The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora
(Peachtree Teen / Peachtree)


The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy
(Little, Brown and Company / Hachette)


The winning title and finalists will be honored at the 2024 ALAN Workshop on Monday, November 25, 2024, and the authors will be invited to participate in a panel discussion.

The 2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation, the ALAN Executive Council, the ALAN Board of Directors, NCTE, and the many publishers who submitted titles for consideration.

The 2024 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee considered over 300 young adult titles throughout the process. The committee was comprised of ten members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:

L. E. Oldham, Ph.D., Committee Chair
English Language Arts Content Specialist
Deming Public Schools, Deming, NM

Shanetia P. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of Literacy
Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD

Alison Daniels
Secondary Language Arts
Howard County Public School System

Zainab Jabak
Secondary English Language Arts Teacher
Alief ISD, Houston, TX

Jung Kim, Ph.D.
Professor of Literacy
Lewis University

Lori Lieberman
Teacher Librarian
Lincoln High School, Portland, OR

Karen Scott
Librarian
Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, AL

T. Hunter Strickland, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Reading, Literacy, and Language
Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA

Karimah Tennyson-Marsh, MFA
8th ELA Instructor/ELA Dept. Chair
Century Community Charter School, Los Angeles CA

Carisa Valle
Access Services & Resource Sharing Specialist
William & Mary Law School Library, Williamsburg, VA

For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents: http://www.alan-ya.org/awards/walden-award/.

2023 Hipple Award Winner

2023 Hipple Award Winner

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2023 Hipple Award Winner

We are excited to announce that Daria Bliss is our Ted Hipple Service Award winner! This award is given each year to an individual who has contributed to the ALAN organization.

Daria has been attending ALAN since 2004 and has served in a multitude of capacities including ALAN President, Walden Award Chair, TAR Reviewer, and current ALAN treasurer. She is a fierce advocate for ALAN.

Join us at the ALAN breakfast on Saturday, November 18 to hear Daria’s remarks. Head to https://convention.ncte.org/registration/ to register for the ALAN Workshop. See you in Columbus! 

2023 Bill Konigsberg Award Recipient

2023 Bill Konigsberg Award Recipient

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)

2023 Bill Konigsberg Award Recipient

ALAN’s 2023 recipient of the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion through Young Adult Literature is Nicole Lintemuth!!

Nicole is a fierce advocate for putting books in the hands that need them. She describes her book store as a place where everyone can see themselves on the shelves and challenges her customers to engage with diverse books through book clubs and events. An active Tik Tokker, she also encourages followers to stand up to book banners at school board meetings and county commission meetings. In a small, conservative town, she helped organize her community’s first Pride event, which continues to grow. We feel she embodies the spirit of the Konigsberg Award as selflessly and bravely acts to amplify the voices of others.

The Konigsberg Award, established in 2018, is presented annually to an individual who has acted in selfless advocacy of marginalized youth through the creation, teaching, funding or other form of promotion of young adult literature. This award was initiated to recognize individuals standing up for groups of young people who are victimized by hate speech or actions. For wielding the power of young adult literature with thought and intention to make the world a better place, the winner will be recognized at the ALAN Breakfast.

Press Release: ALAN Award 2023

Press Release: ALAN Award 2023

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)

Press Release: ALAN Award 2023

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) is pleased to announce A.S. King as the recipient of the 2023 ALAN Award. The award is given to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. Join us at the ALAN Breakfast to celebrate A.S. King’s achievements.

A.S. King has been called “One of the best Y.A. writers working today” by the New York Times Book Review. King is the author of numerous highly-acclaimed novels including 2021’s Switch, called a “surrealist masterpiece” by Kirkus Reviews, the 2020 Michael L. Printz Award winner and LA Times Book Prize finalist Dig, the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Ask the Passengers, and the 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz, among other novels and short stories in various collections. She also writes highly acclaimed Middle Grade fiction as Amy Sarig King—titles include Me and Marvin Gardens, The Year We Fell From Space, and 2022’s Attack of the Black Rectangles—as well as poetry and short stories. In 2022, she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature, helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.

She is a faculty member of the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spends many months of the year traveling the world speaking to high school and university students, educators, and humans who care about young people. King is a fierce advocate for youth agency and mental health supports, and she is an inspiration for both teens and adults around the world.

King will provide remarks at the upcoming ALAN Breakfast to be held on November 18 during the NCTE Annual Convention. The 2023 ALAN Award Committee members are Chair Shalonda Foster, Robert Bittner, naitnaphit limlamai, and Lisa Morris-Wilkey.

2023 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Finalists Announced

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)

2023 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Finalists Announced

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the 2023 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction finalists. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for a cash prize to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The 2023 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
(Razorbill / Penguin Random House)

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor
(Astra Young Readers / Astra Books for Young Readers)

Medusa by Jessie Burton
(Bloomsbury YA / Bloomsbury)

We Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley
(Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins)

The winning title and finalists will be honored at the 2023 ALAN Workshop on Tuesday, November 21st in Columbus, OH, and the authors will be invited to participate in a panel discussion.

The 2023 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation, the ALAN Executive Council, the ALAN Board of Directors, NCTE, and the many publishers who submitted titles for consideration.

The 2023 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee considered nearly 350 young adult titles throughout the process. The committee was comprised of eight members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:

Elizabeth Parker, Committee Chair
Professor/Lecturer
University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, MI

Jodi Blair, Past Committee Chair
Librarian
Alcoa High School, Alcoa, TN

Alison Daniels
English Teacher/10th Grade English Team Leader
Long Reach High School, Columbia, MD

Jung Kim
Professor of Literacy
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL

L.E. Oldham
English Language Arts Content Specialist
Deming Public Schools, Deming, NM

Karen Scott
Librarian
Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, AL

Hunter Strickland
Director of Secondary Education/Assistant Professor of Literacy Education
Anderson University, Anderson, SC

Carisa Valle
Access Services & Resource Sharing Specialist
William & Mary Law School Library, Williamsburg, VA

For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents: http://www.alan-ya.org/awards/walden-award/.