The Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by the Portland, Oregon, United States–based organization Literary Arts, Inc. to honor the "state's finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers."
Oregon Book Award was founded in 1987 by Brian Booth and Oregon Institute for Literary Arts (OILA). In 1993, Literary Arts, Inc., a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Oregonians through language and literature, joined with the OILA and continued to support and promote Oregon's authors with the book awards and Oregon Literary Fellowships. Award winners are selected based solely on literary merit by out-of-state judges who change each year.
In 2005, the award ceremony was moved from Portland's Scottish Rite Center to the Wonder Ballroom, in an effort to make it more lively and fun. Since 2009, the awards ceremony has been held at the Gerding Theatre at the Armory, the home of Portland Center Stage.
Recipients Book Awards Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry Year Book Author 1987 Seal Rock John Haislip 1988 Singing the Mozart Requiem Ingrid Wendt 1989 The Admiration's Lex Runciman 1990 Dreamer Primus St. John 1990 Toluca Street Maxine Scates 1991 Psyche Drives the Coast Sharon Doubiago 1992 Selected Poems Vern Rutsala 1993 A Book of Other Days Lisa M. Steinman 1994 Lauds Tom Crawford 1995 Poem Rising Out of the Earth and Standing Up in Someone James Grabill 1996 Journeyman's Wages Clemens Starck 1997 Drawing the Line Lawson Fusao Inada 1998 Cocktails with Brueghel at the Museum Café Sandra Stone 1999 Ruining the Picture Pimone Triplett 2000 Passion Judith Montgomery 2001 The Evening Light Floyd Skloot 2002 In The Margins Of The World Willa Schneberg 2003 The Play of Dark and Light Rita Ott Ramstad 2004 Men Holding Eggs Henry Hughes 2005 Leaving Laton Carter 2006 Facts About the Moon Dorianne Laux 2007 The Sky Position Tom Blood 2008 A is for Anne: Mistress Hutchinson Disturbs the Commonwealth Penelope Scambly Schott 2009/2010 All-American Poem Matthew Dickman 2011 The Book of Men and Women David Biespiel 2012 Curses And Wishes Carl Adamshick 2013 Fjords Vol. 1 Zachary Schomburg 2014 Incarnadine Mary Szybist 2015 Sorrow Arrow Emily Kendal Frey 2016 Saint Friend Carl Adamshick 2017 When We Were Birds Joe Wilkins 2018 Field Theories Samiya Bashir 2019 Small Gods Matthew Minicucci 2020 Spectra Ashley Toliver 2021 Hope of Stones Anna Elkins 2022 Instrument Dao Strom 2023 Mouth, Sugar, and Smoke Eric Tran 2024 Chorus Daniela Naomi Molnar
Award for Fiction Year Book Author 1987 Resurrectionists Russell Working 1988 Within Normal Limits Todd Grimson 1989 Cardinal Numbers Hob Broun 1990 The Jump-off Creek Molly Gloss 1991 (no award given) 1992 Searoad Ursula K. Le Guin 1993 Dreams Like Thunder Diane Simmons 1994 Arabian Jazz Diana Abu-Jaber 1995 Native Speaker Chang-Rae Lee 1996 What Falls Away Tracy Daugherty 1997 Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk 1998 The Ugliest House in the World Peter Ho Davies 1999 Like Never Before Ehud Havazelet 2000 Storm Riders Craig Lesley 2001 Throwing Knives Molly Best Tinsley 2002 The Necessary Grace to Fall: Stories Gina Ochsner
Ken Kesey Award for the Novel Year Book Author 2003 His Mother's Son Cai Emmons 2004 Axeman's Jazz Tracy Daugherty 2005 How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater Marc Acito 2006 The Best People in the World: A Novel Justin Tussing 2007 Twenty Questions Alison Clement
Ken Kesey Award for Fiction Year Book Author 2008 Bearing the Body Ehud Havazelet 2009/2010 Livability: Stories Jon Raymond 2011 Lean on Pete Willy Vlautin 2012 The Sisters Brothers Patrick deWitt 2013 Shards Ismet Prcic 2014 The Unreal and The Real: Collected Stories, Vols. 1 and 2 Ursula K. Le Guin 2015 The Revolution of Every Day Cari Luna 2016 The Small Backs of Children Lidia Yuknavitch 2017 A Great Length of Time Joyce Cherry Cresswell 2018 American War Omar El Akkad 2019 Red Clocks Leni Zumas 2020 No God like the Mother Kesha Ajọsẹ Fisher 2021 The Great Offshore Grounds Vanessa Veselka2022 What Strange Paradise Omar El Akkad2023 Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories Sindya Bhanoo2024 The Librarianist Patrick deWitt2025 We Were the Universe Kimberly King Parsons2026 Immaculate Conception Ling Ling Huang
H. L. Davis Award for Short Fiction Year Book Author 1998 The Ugliest House in the World Peter Ho Davies 1999 Like Never Before Ehud Havazelet 2000 Storm Riders Craig Lesley 2001 Throwing Knives Molly Best Tinsley 2002 The Necessary Grace to Fall Gina Ochsner 2003 It Takes a Worried Man Tracy Daugherty 2004 Saving Stanley Scott Nadelson 2005 Resistance Barry Lopez 2006 People I Wanted to Be Gina Ochsner 2007 The Dead Fish Museum Charles D'Ambrosio
Award for Literary Nonfiction Year Book Author 1987 Arctic Dreams Barry Lopez 1988 Faces of a Reservation Cynthia Stowell 1989 A Golden Journey Luther Cressman 1990 Baja Journey Robin Carey 1991 Wings for My Flight / My Country, My Right to Serve Marcy Cottrell Houle / Mary Ann Humphrey (tie) 1992 No Duty to Retreat Richard M. Brown 1993 The Trail Home John Daniel 1994 Stubborn Twig Lauren Kessler 1995 Voyage of a Summer Sun Robin Cody 1996 Volcano Garrett Hongo 1997 Looking After John Daniel 1998 Making It Home Lars Nordström 1999 The Left Hand of Eden William Ashworth 2000 The Night Gardener Marjorie Sandor 2001 When Broken Glass Floats Chanrithy Him 2002 My Wars Are Laid Away in Books Alfred Habegger
Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction Frances Fuller Victor's legacy was invoked in a speech by scholar Terrence O'Donnell at the inaugural Oregon Book Award event in 1987, which also marked the beginning of the annual Frances Fuller Victor Award for Creative Nonfiction. The award was variously referred to by this name as well as the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction. Year Book Author 2003 Dispatches and Dictators: Ralph Barnes for the Herald Tribune Barbara S. Mahoney 2004 In Search of Ancient Oregon Ellen Morris Bishop 2005 Plague and Fire: Battling Black Death and the 1900 Burning of Honolulu's Chinatown James C. Mohr 2006 Modern Passings: Death Rites, Politics, and Social Change in Imperial Japan Andrew Bernstein 2007 Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Equal Rights in Post-Civil War America Garrett Epps 2008 One Night in America: Robert Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, and the Dream of Dignity Steven W. Bender 2009/2010 Hiding Man: A Biography of Donald Barthelme Tracy Daugherty 2011 Savages and Scoundrels Paul VanDevelder 2012 Imperial Japan At Its Zenith: The Wartime Celebration Of The Empire's 2600th Anniversary Kenneth J. Ruoff 2013 The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret Kent Hartman 2014 Duel with the Devil Paul Collins 2015 Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self Alex Tizon 2016 A Long High Whistle David Biespiel 2017 The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion Tracy Daugherty 2018 Fish Market Lee van der Voo 2019 Dangerous Subjects: James D. Saules and the Rise of Black Exclusion in Oregon Kenneth R. Coleman 2020 Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West David Wolman and Julian Smith 2021 The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America Nicholas Buccola2022 The Wretched Atom: America's Global Gamble with Peaceful Nuclear Technology Jacob Darwin Hamblin2023 Free: Two Years, Six Lives, and the Long Journey Home Lauren Kessler2024 Where We Call Home: Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific Northwest Josephine Woolington
Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction Year Book Author 2003 Providence of a Sparrow Chris Chester 2003 In The Shadow Of Memory Floyd Skloot 2004 The Stuff of Life Karen Karbo 2005 The Pine Island Paradox Kathleen Dean Moore 2006 When the River Ran Wild! Indian Traditions on the Mid-Columbia and the Warm Springs Reservation George W. Aguilar 2007 The Things Between Us Lee Montgomery 2008 Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's Lauren Kessler 2009/2010 Convictions: A Prosecutor's Battles Against Mafia Killers, Drug Kingpins, and Enron Thieves John Kroger 2011 The Far Corner John Daniel 2012 The Shape Of The Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, And The Stories We Inherit George Estreich 2013 Crazy Enough Storm Large 2014 Wedlocked Jay Ponteri 2015 The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld Justin Hocking 2016 Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear Kate Carroll de Gutes 2017 Angels With Dirty Faces Walidah Imarisha 2018 Animals Strike Curious Poses Elena Passarello 2019 The Gospel of Trees Apricot Irving 2020 Anxious Attachments Beth Alvarado 2021 Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country Sierra Crane Murdoch2022 Plastic: An Autobiography Allison Cobb 2023 Diary of a Misfit: A Memoir and a Mystery Casey Parks2024 Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear Erica Berry
Angus L. Bowmer Award for Drama Year Book Author 1988 The Second Coming of Joan of Arc Carolyn Gage 1989 Holding Patterns Dan Duling 1990 Five Minute Wars Sharon Whitney 1992 The Disappearance and Death of Amelia Earhart E. J. Westlake 1994 A Pirate's Lullaby Jessica Litwak 1996 Picasso in the Backseat Dmae Roberts 1997 Drawing Down Clio Doug Baldwin 1998 Freud's Girls Dori Appel 1999 The Lunatic Within Dori Appel 2000 Wonderbroads Melinda Pittman 2001 Lost and Found Dori Appel 2004 Vitriol and Violets Shelly Lipkin, Louanne Moldovan, and Sherry Lamoreaux 2006 Arthur's Dreams Richard Moeschl 2008 Lost Wavelengths Steve Patterson 2011 The Lost Boy Susan Mach 2013 Antarktikos Andrea Stolowitz 2015 Ithaka Andrea Stolowitz 2017 Words That Burn Cindy Williams Gutiérrez 2019 Successful Strategies Andrea Stolowitz 2021 You Cannot Undo This Action Conor Eifler2023 The Storyteller Sara Jean Accuardi
Award for Young Readers Literature Year Book Author 1990 Dragon's Milk Susan Fletcher 1991 Four Dollars and Fifty Cents Eric Kimmel 1992 The Striped Ships Eloise McGraw 1993 Blue Skin of the Sea Graham Salisbury 1994 Make Lemonade Virginia Euwer Wolff 1995 Under the Blood Red Sun Graham Salisbury 1996 Journey of the Red Wolf Roland Smith 1997 The Moorchild Eloise McGraw 1998 Shark Bait Graham Salisbury 1999 A Voice from the Border Pamela Smith Hill 2000 The Gate in the Wall Ellen Howard 2001 True Believer Virginia Euwer Wolff
Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature
Year Book Author 2003 Three Samurai Cats Eric Kimmel 2004 Luba Michelle McCann 2005 Cave Paintings to Picasso Henry Sayre 2006 Tour America Diane Siebert 2007 Not in Room 204 Shannon Riggs 2008 A Day With No Crayons Elizabeth Rusch 2009/2010 Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-discoverer of the North Pole Deborah Hopkinson 2011 Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix Graham Salisbury 2012 Calvin Coconut: Hero Of Hawaii Graham Salisbury 2013 Drawing From Memory Allen Say 2014 Calvin Coconut: Extra Famous Graham Salisbury 2015 Whistle in the Dark Susan Hill Long 2016 With a Friend by Your Side Barbara Kerley 2017 Hannah and Sugar Kate Berube 2018 The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan Patricia Bailey 2019 The Turning Emily Whitman 2020 Lowriders: Blast from the Past Cathy Camper 2021 A Game of Fox and Squirrels Jenn Reese2022 Taylor Before and After Jennie Englund2023 Friends Are Friends, Forever Dane Liu2024 Too Early Nora Ericson
Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature