2024 Winners and Honors

2024 Author Winner

Nigeria Jones

91´«Ã½

"Nigeria Jones,” written by Ibi Zoboi, and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

2024 Illustrator Winner

An American Story Bookcover

91´«Ã½

"An American Story,” illustrated by Dare Coulter, written by Kwame Alexander, and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book, Inc.

2024 Author Honor Titles

A pink background with the words "BIG" in black all cap text, being held up by a young Black girl dressed like a ballerina in a pink leotard and purple tutu.

91´«Ã½

“Big,” written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The book cover of "How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee" by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison shows a skinny African-American girl in a dress standing in front of an old-time microphone on a stage. The Coretta Scott King Book Award seal has been added to the cover.

91´«Ã½

“How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison and published by Candlewick Press.

A purple background with a white tree outlined, with a Black person looking off in the distant drawn in dark colored pencil.

91´«Ã½

“Kin: Rooted in Hope,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

2024 Illustrator Honor Titles

A pink background with the words "BIG" in black all cap text, being held up by a young Black girl dressed like a ballerina in a pink leotard and purple tutu.

91´«Ã½

“Big,” written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

With a colorful background, a head of a woman with short black hair, gold earrings, and red lipstick is pictured as she smiles upwards.

91´«Ã½

“Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes,” illustrated by Shannon Wright, written by Traci N. Todd and published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

book cover of "There Was a Party for Langston Hughes, King O' Letters" by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey shows an African-American man (Langston) wearing a bow tie and suspenders and holding a paint brush in his hand being carried by two other party-goers, while seated on a crown with words printed on it: Mother. Rhythm. Sun. Dreams. America. Laughs. Harlem. Freedom. Neighborhood. Me. while two other people dance.

91´«Ã½

“There Was a Party for Langston,” illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarret Pumphrey, written by Jason Reynolds and published by Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner

The book cover of "There Goes the Neighborhood" by Jade Adia shows a montage of photos of diverse teens, with the largest, centered photo being that of a young African-American woman. Street signs showing the intersection of Kofa Park Drive and Sosi Avenue are shown, and power lines and palm trees are in the sky. The award seal for the Steptoe award has been added to the cover.

91´«Ã½

“There Goes the Neighborhood,” written by Jade Adia and published by Hyperion, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, Inc.

John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner

We Could Fly Book Cover

91´«Ã½

“We Could Fly,” illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, written by Rhiannon Giddens, and published by Candlewick Press.