Please accept our apologies… we’ve been updating our website to help make the Midwest Book Award entry process more streamlined, but a few technical snafus have delayed our launch of the award submissions.
Rest assured, we’ll soon welcome entries for books published in 2025; the entry deadline has been extended to January 16, 2026.
And mark your calendar: the finalists will be announced in April 2026, and the winners will be announced at the annual Midwest Book Awards Gala celebration on June 13, 2026! 🎉
Updated Categories
We’ve updated the Midwest Book Award categories, which now include eleven primary categories (choose one); eight special distinction categories (optional, choose as many as appropriate); and four revamped design categories (optional, choose as many as appropriate).
Primary Categories
- Literary / Historical / Contemporary Fiction
- Mystery / Thriller
- Genre Fiction (Romance / Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Horror)
- Children
(Picture Book) - Children (Middle Grade / Chapter Book)
- Poetry
- Autobiography / Memoir / Biography
- History (nonfiction)
- Humanities (religion / philosophy / politics / culture)
- Lifestyle (business / health / self-help / lifestyle / travel / cooking / education)
- Visual Narratives (nonfiction art / photo / visual)
Special Distinction
- Best Small Press
- Best Self-Published Author
- Best Debut Author
- Best Junior Author (Younger than 18)
- Insightful BIPOC Perspectives
- Insightful LGBTQ+ Perspectives
- Strong Regional Focus
- Strong Midwestern Sensibility
Design Recognition
- Cover Design
- Illustration
- Interior Design
- Total Book Design