37th Annual Oklahoma Book Awards Finalists Announced
Finalists have been selected for the 37th Annual Oklahoma Book Awards, recognizing outstanding books published in 2025 by Oklahoma authors and creators or books with an Oklahoma theme. This year’s competition received 160 entries from across the state, showcasing Oklahoma’s strong literary community.
Finalists represent the best in Oklahoma writing, illustration, and design across multiple categories. Join us for an evening celebrating Oklahoma authors, books, and readers. The event will begin with a book signing and cash bar at 6:00 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony and banquet dinner at 7:00 p.m. on May 16, 2026, at the Oklahoma History Center, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK.
Tickets are required, and seating is limited. To purchase tickets, download and print the reservation card and follow the instructions included on the form.
2026 Oklahoma Book Award Finalists
The following titles have been selected as finalists in each category, listed alphabetically by title:
Children
Braided Roots
Pasha Westbrook, Madelyn Goodnight | Scholastic, Orchard Books Publishing
The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep
Hannah E. Harrison | Zonderkidz
Mary Had a Little Jam
Tammi Sauer | Hachette Book Group, Union Square Kids
Vampirita and the Musical Mayhem
Mariana Llanos | Reycraft Books
Woody's Words
Lisa Rogers | Scholastic, Orchard Books
Young Adult
Aubrey Helps a Ghost
Desiree Webber | G. Markle Publishing
Augmented (The Hybrid Series Book 3)
Candace Kade | Enclave Publishing
August Rain
Marlo Holly | Balboa Press
Careful What You Hear (Do You Hear What I Hear? Book 2)
Helen Dunlap Newton | Yorkshire Publishing
Gittel
Laurie Schneider | Regal House Publishing
Design/Illustration/Photography
Making of the Killers of the Flower Moon
Sherry Stinson | Osage News
Route 66: The First 100 Years
Jim Ross | Reedy Press
Totally Possum
Trey Hays, illustrated by Eli Corbin | White Dog Press
Fiction
Filling Station
Vanessa Miller | Thomas Nelson
The Kennedy Girl
Julia Bryan Thomas | Sourcebooks Landmark
Low April Sun
Constance E. Squires | University of Oklahoma Press
A Rare Obsession
Sheldon Russell | Cenman Press
Shadow of the Solstice
Anne Hillerman | Harper Perennial
Non-Fiction
Belle Starr
Linda Lee McDonald | Independently published
Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State
Caleb Gayle | Riverhead Books
History of the Cherokee Nation
Rachel Caroline Eaton; edited by David Berry, Martha Berry, and Patricia Dawson | University of Oklahoma Press
Justice For All: Dick T. Morgan, Frontier Lawyer and Common Man’s Congressman
Michael J. Hightower; foreword by Bob L. Blackburn | University of Oklahoma Press, 2 Cities Press
One Lucky Cowboy
Bob Burke and Gary Shutt | Oklahoma Hall of Fame
Peyote Politics
Lisa Barnett | University of Oklahoma Press
Sooner Doughboys Write Home
David Levy | University of Oklahoma Press
Tulsa, 2021: A Massacre’s Centennial and a National Reckoning
Randy Krehbiel | University of Oklahoma Press
Poetry
Blood Wolf Moon
Elise Paschen | Red Hen Press
Oh, I Think I Have a Poem About That
Jim Spurr | Spurline Productions
Quantum Entanglement
Gary Reddin | Mouthfeel Press
This Is the Truth
Jennifer Kidney | Clare Songbirds Publishing House
The Oklahoma Center for the Book (OCB) has partnered with the non-profit Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book for more than 30 years to co-sponsor the annual Oklahoma Book Awards. The OCB, located in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, is affiliated with the National Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
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