High Plains Book Awards
{{Short description|Literary award}}
{{Infobox award
| name =
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| image = File:High Plains Book Awards logo.jpg
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| image_caption = Awards horizontal logo
| type =
| awarded_for = English literary works which examine and reflect life in the High Plains region
| description =
| sponsor =
| country = {{Unbulleted list|United States|Canada}}
| presenter = Billings Public Library, Billings, Montana, United States
| eligibility = Living authors publishing a new work who reside in or write about the region
| reward = Thirteen {{USD|500}} rewards
| status =
| established = {{start year and age|2006}}
| firstawarded = {{start year and age|2007}}
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| website = {{URL|https://highplainsbookawards.org/}}
}}
The High Plains Book Awards are North American literary awards for literature about the High Plains region of the United States and Canada.
Description
The awards go to books that highlight the experience and landscape of the High Plains region of the US and Canada.{{cite web | title=Canadians among winners of 2024 High Plains Book Awards | website=Quill and Quire | date=October 10, 2024 | url=https://quillandquire.com/omni/canadians-among-winners-of-2024-high-plains-book-awards/ | access-date=February 20, 2025}}{{cite web | author=CBC Books | title=Jesse Thistle among winners of 2020 High Plains Book Awards for memoir From the Ashes | website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date=October 27, 2020 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/jesse-thistle-among-winners-of-2020-high-plains-book-awards-for-memoir-from-the-ashes-1.5778542 | access-date=February 20, 2025}} Books are eligible for nomination if the book is newly published that year and the authors are living and publishing in or about the region.{{cite web | title=Nominations and Criteria | website=High Plains Book Awards | url=https://highplainsbookawards.org/nominations-and-criteria/ | access-date=February 20, 2025}} Billings Public Library presents and administers the awards.{{cite book |editor-last1=Martin |editor-first1=Rebecca |author-last1=Taylor |author-first1=Rhonda Harris |last2= |first2= |date=May 2013 |chapter=Native American Detective Fiction |url= |title=Critical Insights: Crime & Detective Fiction |pages=206–207 |isbn=9781429838221 |access-date= | id={{EBSCOhost|88173499|db=lkh}}|publisher=Salem Press}}
The awards defines the High Plains region as the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.{{cite web | title=About Us | website=High Plains Book Awards | url=https://highplainsbookawards.org/about-us/ | access-date=February 20, 2025}}
Thirteen categories have one winner each. The 2021 winners received {{USD|500}} and a commemorative plaque, for a total of {{USD|6500}} in prize money.{{cite web | title=2021 High Plains Awards Finalists | website=Read Alberta | date=June 3, 2021 | url=https://readalberta.ca/articles/2021-high-plains-awards-finalists/ | access-date=February 20, 2025}} Winners are announced at a banquet in the Yellowstone Art Museum.{{cite web | title=Sisters salutes... | website=The Nugget Newspaper | date=October 6, 2015 | url=https://www.nuggetnews.com/story/2015/10/06/news/sisters-salutes/25345.html | access-date=July 13, 2025}}
History
In 2006 the Billings, Montana Billings Public Library Board of Trustees established the High Plains Book Awards. Board Chair Lloyd Mickelson led the effort to recognize works that were evocative of the High Plains landscape.
The first awards were in 2007.{{cite web | title=LibGuides: Children/Young Adult Book Awards: High Plains Book Award | website=LibGuides at Montana State University Billings | date=May 7, 2013 | url=https://libguides.msubillings.edu/c.php?g=242159&p=9606975 | access-date=February 20, 2025}} Parmly Billings Library administered and hosted the awards. The first awards ceremony was at Parmly as a kick off event to the fifth annual High Plains BookFest in October 2007. The original categories were Emeritus Award for best body of work by an author or team of authors, Best Book Award for fiction, non-fiction, or poetry published the previous year, and Best First Book Award for a work published in the previous year by a first-time author.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=May–June 2007 |title=High Plains BookFest set for October |url=https://archive.org/details/stateofarts2007unse_1 |work=State of the Arts |location=Helena, Montana |publisher=Montana Arts Council |access-date=April 9, 2025}}{{cite news |last= |first= |date=May–June 2007 |title=High Plains Book Awards recognize regional authors and literary works |url=https://archive.org/details/stateofarts2007unse_1 |work=State of the Arts |location=Helena, Montana |publisher=Montana Arts Council |access-date=April 9, 2025}}{{cite web | title=BookFest gala reading features two celebrated writers | website=Bozeman Daily Chronicle | date=October 11, 2007 | url=https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/go/bookfest-gala-reading-features-two-celebrated-writers/article_e6b498f1-ccec-565d-be0e-436ba574ad53.html | access-date=April 9, 2025 |url-access=subscription}} Larry Watson received the inaugural Emeritus Award for his body of work in 2007.{{cite web | last=Webb| first=Jaci | title=Former reporter wins High Plains book award | website=The Missoulian | date=February 12, 2025 | url=https://missoulian.com/entertainment/books/former-reporter-wins-high-plains-book-award/article_d0d9b9a9-db79-563d-969c-ed3e4f470216.html | access-date=February 20, 2025}}
During the sixth High Plains Book Awards in 2013, 60% of nominated works were by women, the first instance where more women's works were nominated than men's. 164 books published in 2012 were nominated in 9 categories: best fiction, nonfiction, poetry, first book, woman writer, art and photography, short stories, culinary, and young adult.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=September–October 2013 |title=High Plains BookFest celebrates "Women Writing the West" |url=https://archive.org/details/2013sepoct |work=State of the Arts |location=Helena, Montana |publisher=Montana Arts Council |access-date=April 9, 2025}}
The 2017 awards debuted the Native American Author category, sponsored by Montana State University Billings Library.{{cite news |last= |first= |date=27 Dec 2016 |title=Book award series adds focus on indigenous authors |url= |work=The Billings Gazette |location=Billings, Montana |publisher= |id={{ProQuest|1853494310}}}}
The awards became a tax exempt organization in September 2017.{{cite web | last=Suozzo | first=Andrea | last2=Glassford | first2=Alec | last3=Ngu | first3=Ash | last4=Roberts | first4=Brandon | title=High Plains Book Awards | website=ProPublica | date=May 9, 2013 | url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/814900150 | access-date=February 20, 2025}}
Archives
Historical materials related to the awards are available at the Montana Historical Society Library & Archive in their vertical files.{{cite web |url=https://mhs.mt.gov/Research/Compass/docs/MTHS-Vertical-Files-Index-Topical.pdf#page=63 |title=Vertical Files Index - Topical |last= |first= |date= |website=Montana Historical Society |publisher=State of Montana |access-date=May 10, 2025 |page=63 |quote=}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite magazine | author1-last=Rowland |author1-first=Russel | title=A Tale of Two Festivals | work=Big Sky Journal | date=Winter 2019 | url=https://bigskyjournal.com/a-tale-of-two-festivals/ |location=Bozeman, Montana |publisher=J.D. Publishing | access-date=February 20, 2025}}
- {{cite web | author=CBC Books | title=Michelle Good among Canadian winners of 2024 High Plains Book Awards | website=CBC | publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date=October 16, 2024 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/michelle-good-among-canadian-winners-of-2024-high-plains-book-awards-1.7352752 | access-date=April 9, 2025}}
- {{cite AV media |people=KBZK Bozeman MT News |date=December 8, 2021 |title=Roadside Geology of Montana part III: New volume honored by High Plains Book Award |trans-title= |type=newscast |language= |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=E4GP2OdfRsM&pp=ygUSImhpZ2ggcGxhaW5zIGJvb2si |access-date=May 10, 2025 |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |time= |location=Bozeman, Montana |publisher=KBZK, The E.W. Scripps Company |via=YouTube |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |ref=}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://highplainsbookawards.org/}}
- [https://libguides.msubillings.edu/c.php?g=291806&p=1943866 High Plains Book Awards LibGuide from Montana State University Billings]
- [https://www.librarything.com/award/4430/High-Plains-Book-Award High Plains Book Awards] on LibraryThing
{{Authority control}}
Category:Awards established in 2006
Category:English-language literary awards
Category:North American literary awards
Category:Non-profit organizations based in Montana
Category:2006 establishments in Montana
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