National Book Award
The REFORMA National Book Award is presented annually to a Latino/x/é author whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino/x/é cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature.
2024 Awards Criteria
- Work of fiction for adults, especially novels, and including single author short story collections.
- Books may be written in Spanish, English or Spanish/English Bilingual.
- Must be published in 2024 in the United States, including US territories.
- Must be an original work; published for the first time ever, nor should it be a sequel to a previously published work.
- Must portray some aspect of the Latino/x/é experience past, present or future while actively combating our community’s erasure and negative stereotypes.
- The primary author must have Latino/x/é ancestry (Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America).
- Self-published or vanity press books will not be considered.
Submission
- Nominations should be submitted electronically via the Nomination Form.
- Publishers should submit a PDF copy and physical copies of the book for review.
- REFORMA members can nominate any title but are encouraged to consider titles based on stellar reviews published in standard library reviewing sources and other authoritative sources. The committee is under no obligation to consider all titles.
Selection Committee
- Members of the Selection Committee will be appointed by the REFORMA President from Awards Committee recommendations.
- The Selection Committee will consist of 5 members to include a Chair and Vice-Chair. Term of service is one year; members may be invited back to serve another year.
- Members must have English-Spanish literacy for both languages.
- Only REFORMA Members (including institutional member representatives) are eligible to serve on the Selection Committee.
- Members of the Selection Committee will represent a diversity of libraries and USA regions.
- Members of the Selection Committee will have proven knowledge of literary quality (having worked as book selector, reviewer, editor, past award committees experience, etc.).
- Members of the Selection Committee are encouraged to donate the books received as appropriate - to their local chapters or libraries on behalf of REFORMA.
Chair Responsibilities
- Contact publishers to solicit books for consideration.
- Serve as cultural advisor and ultimate arbiter regarding Latino/x/é cultural questions.
- Convene and direct the committee’s work.
- Chair the Selection Committee deliberations. Be responsible for the selection of a winner.
Vice Chair Responsibilities
- Support the chair with the logistics of the committee.
- Be prepared to serve as Chair year two.
2024 REFORMA National Book Award Selection Committee
bookaward@reforma.org- Sara Martínez, Chair
- Yoly Avella
- Alfonso Huerta
- Elissa Miller
- Laura Negrete
- Edwin Rodarte