Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World
In honor of the late Russell Freedman, Newbery Award winner and one of the modern masters of narrative nonfiction, we are happy to announce the opening of The Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World.
The winner will receive a prize of $2500 plus $500 to purchase copies of the winning book for distribution to schools and libraries, recognition in all SCBWI publications, and a virtual forum to give a speech before the entire children’s book community. Any nonfiction book published for children or young adults, released between January 1 and December 31, 2023, is eligible. If both an author and illustrator are listed on the book cover, the prize will be split between them.
You do not have to be a member of SCBWI to submit. However, your book must be published by a publisher on the SCBWI PAL list (shown in the dropdown field for the Book Publisher).
This award is open to everyone who has a nonfiction children's or YA book traditionally published in 2023, including works translated into English from other languages. The award consists of a $2,500 cash prize, plus $500 to purchase copies of the winning book for distribution to schools and libraries, plus a broadcast acceptance speech made available to the whole community. If both an author and illustrator are listed on the book cover, the prize will be split between them.
Submissions for this award are currently closed, and will reopen in Autumn 2024.
To submit, please create a free account with SCBWI by clicking "Log in or Register" in the upper right hand corner.
If you are already a member with a login you can skip this step. Navigate to "Member Home" and click the awards tab. From there, you can apply for the award.
To apply please provide:
- Author or translator name
- Illustrator name (if applicable)
- As a single PDF:
- Book title
- Publisher
- Publication date
- A maximum 250 word book summary
- A 500 word essay answering the following question: How will your book create a better world?
