The Crystal Kite Award (also known as 'Crystal Kite Members Choice Award) is given by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) each year to recognize great books from the 70 SCBWI regions around the world. Along with the SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, the Crystal Kite Awards are chosen by other children's book writers and illustrators, making them the only peer-given awards in publishing for young readers.
Each SCBWI member votes for their favorite book from a nominated author in their region that was published in the previous calendar year.
Winners
International Regions
Australia / New Zealand +YearTitleAuthor2011There Was an Old SailorClaire M. Saxby2012The Last VikingNorman Jorgensen and James Foley2013Ten Tiny ThingsMeg McKinlay and Kyle Hughes-Odgers2014Zac and MiaAJ Betts2015Hello From NowhereRaewyn Caisley and Karen Blair2016A is for AustraliaFrané Lessac2017Smile CryTania McCartney and Jess Racklyeft2018The Scared BookDebra Tidball2019At The End of Holyrood LaneDimity Powell2020Catch a Falling StarMeg McKinlay2021How to Make a BirdMeg McKinlay2022Heroes of the Secret UndergroundSusanne Gervay2023Bev and KevKatrina Germein and Mandy Foot2024Hanukkah Upside DownElissa Weissman (Omer Hoffmann, illustrator)2025Happy All OverEmma Quay2026Grandmother from the East, Grandmother from the WestJacinta Liu and Fredia Chiu
Canada +YearTitleAuthor2011Stolen ChildMarsha Skrypuch2012WitchlandersLena Coakley2013The Stamp CollectorJennifer Lanthier2014I Dare You Not to YawnHelene Boudreau2015BogKaren Krossing2016A Brush Full of ColourMargriet Ruurs2017Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories of the AuroraJoan Marie Galat2018My Beautiful BirdsSuzanne Del Rizzo2019The OutlawNancy Vo2020Small WorldIshta Mercurio-Wentworth2021Night WalkEllie Arscott & Sara O'Leary2022Tough Like MumLana Button2023One Tiny BubbleKaren Krossing and Dawn Lo2024Deep, Deep Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana TrenchLydia Lukidis and Juan Calle2025Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the MountainsAnita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu (illustrator)2026The Dog Who Saved the BeesStephanie Gibeault and David Hohn
Europe / Latin America / Africa +YearTitleAuthor2011A Kite's FlightMaja Sereda2012Finding Aunt JoanJenny Hatton and Joan Rankin2013The Magyar ConspiracyNeil Malherbe2014Chick-o-Sarus RexLenore Appelhans2015A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s DreamKristy Dempsey2016The Safest LieAngela Cerrito2017El Jardín MágicoLemniscates2018Will You Read My Book with Me?Lawrence Schimel2019The Night LionSanne Dufft2020The Untold, Bloody, and Absolutely Real History of SwitzerlandLaurie Theurer2021The Hungry GhostHelle Sidelmann Norup2022The Stuff Between the StarsSandra Nickel2023Baily and BlanketEmily House2024Lucky Me!Lawrence Schimel and Juan Camilo Mayorga2025Bear's Big IdeaSandra Nickel and Il Sung Na2026Seven, A Most Remarkable PigeonSandra Nickel and Aimee Sicuro
Middle East / India / Asia +YearTitleAuthor2011Saraswati's WayMonika Schröder2012OrchardsHolly Thompson2013Samurai AwakeningBenjamin Martin2014Bonkers!Natasha Sharma2015Petu Pumpkin: Tooth TroublesArundhati Venkatesh2016The Adventures of Squirky the Alien #3: Who is the Red Commander?Melanie Lee2017Somewhere AmongAnnie Donwerth-Chikamatsu2018Yossi and the MonkeysJennifer MacLeod2019The Clever TailorSrividhya Venkat2020Indigo GirlSuzanne Kamata2021The Last GardenRachel Ip2022Temple Alley SummerSachiko Kashiwaba2023Shoham's Bangle Sarah Sassoon and Noa Kelner2024The Light Within YouNamita Moolani Mehra and Kamala Nair2025Listening to TreesHolly Thompson and Toshiki Nakamura2026Under Pressure: Freddie Mercury's Countdown to FameShyamala Shanmugasundaram and Pankaj Saikia
UK / Ireland +YearTitleAuthor2011Tall StoryCandy Gourlay2012Dark PartiesSara Grant2013Fifteen Days Without a HeadDave Cousins2014ShineCandy Gourlay2015The Year of the RatClaire Furniss2016Mind GamesTeri Terry2017More of MeKathryn Evans2018Mold and the Poison PlotLorraine Gregory2019Orphan Monster SpyMatt Killeen2020The TideClare Welsh2021Boy, EverywhereA. M. Dassu2022The Bear and her BookFrances Tosdevin2023Call Me LionCamilla Chester and Irina Avgustinovich2024Windows to the WorldAlice Bianchi-Clark and Chloe Chang2025East Asian Folktales, Myths and LegendsEva Wong Nava2026Street Puppy, Masjid CatMoniza Hossain and Wastana Haikal
Regions in the United States
Atlantic (Pennsylvania / Delaware / New Jersey / Wash DC / Virginia / West Virginia / Maryland) +YearTitleAuthor2011MockingbirdKathryn D. Erskine2012The Absolute Value of MikeKathryn D. Erskine2013BOY + BOTAme Dyckman2014Flame in the MistKit Grindstaff2015PandemicYvonne Ventresca2016Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking MachineLaurie Wallmark2017I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her MarkDebbie Levy20187 Ate 9: The Untold StoryTara Lazar2019Hawk RisingMaria Gianferrari2020Hedy Lamarr's Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant InventorLaurie Wallmark2021Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving AwayMeg Medina2022A Place to Hang the MoonKate Albus2023Mushroom RainLaura K. Zimmerman and Jamie Green2024Woven of the WorldKatey Howes and Dinara Mirtalipova2025Tricky ChopsticksSylvia Chen and Fanny Liem2026Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year StorySylvia Chen and Thai My Phuong
California / Hawaii +YearTitleAuthor2011The Quiet BookDeborah Underwood2012Won Ton - A Cat Tale Told in HaikuLee Wardlaw2013The One and Only IvanKatherine Applegate2014The Kite That Bridged Two NationsAlexis O'Neill2015Bombs Over Bikini: The World’s First Nuclear DisasterConnie Goldsmith2016Under a Painted SkyStacey Lee2017Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, a Life in NatureCindy Jenson-Elliott and Christy Hale2018The Lost BoysDarcey Rosenblatt2019She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created FrankensteinLynn Fulton2020The Downstairs GirlStacey Heather Lee2021Efrén DividedErnesto Cisneros2022Hello, StarStephanie Lucianovic2023Leo + LeaMonica Wesolowska and Kenard Pak2024A River of Dust: The Life-Giving Link Between North Africa and The AmazonJilanne Hoffmann and Eugenia Mello2025The Man Who Didn't Like AnimalsDeborah Underwood and LeUyen Pham2026I AM NOT HAPPY!Caroline Perry and Sydney Hanson
Mid-South (Kansas / Louisiana / Arkansas / Tennessee / Kentucky / Missouri) +YearTitleAuthor2011Selling HopeKristin O'Donnell Tubb2012Between Shades of GrayRuta Sepetys2013The Dark UnwindingSharon Cameron2014The 13th SignKristin O'Donnell Tubb2015Faking Normal Courtney Stevens2016Top Secret Files of History – WWIIStephanie Bearce2017Salt to the SeaRuta Sepetys2018A Dog Like DaisyKristin O'Donnell Tubb2019A Hippy-Hoppy ToadPeggy Archer2020PoetreeShauna LaVoy Reynolds2021The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to ReadRita Lorraine Hubbard2022I'll Meet You in Your DreamsJessica Young2023Big and Small and In-BetweenCarter Higgins and Daniel Miyares2024Creep, Leap, Crunch! A Food Chain StoryJody Jensen Shaffer and Christopher Silas Neal2025The Last Day Julian was My Best FriendJody Jensen Shaffer and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff2026You Can Sit With MeRachel Tawil Kenyon and Tatiana Kasmshilina
Mid-West (Minnesota / Iowa / Nebraska / Wisconsin / Illinois / Michigan / Indiana / Ohio) +YearTitleAuthor2011Janis Joplin: Rise Up SingingAnn M. Angel2012BluefishPat Schmatz2013Creepy CarrotsAaron Reynolds2014Sophie's SquashPat Zietlow Miller2015I am Cow, Hear Me MooJill Esbaum2016Wherever You GoPat Zietlow Miller2017The Quickest Kid in ClarksvillePat Zietlow Miller2018Blue Sky White StarsSarvinder Naberhaus2019The Rabbit ListenedCori Doerrfeld2020Just Like Rube GoldbergSarah Aronson2021Old Rock (is not boring!)Deb Pilutti2022Headstrong Hallie! The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female "Fire Guard"Aimee Bissonette2023Bathe the CatAlice B. McGinty and David Roberts2024Willow and BunnyAnitra Schulte and Christopher Denise2025A Little Like MagicSarah Kurpiel2026STUCK! The Story of La Brea Tar PitsJoyce P. Uglow and Valerya Milovanova
New England (Maine / Vermont / New Hampshire / Connecticut / Massachusetts / Rhode Island) +YearTitleAuthor2011Bats at the Ball GameBrian Lies2012PearlJo Knowles2013See You at Harry'sJo Knowles2014The Story of Fish & SnailDeborah Freedman2015Feathers: Not Just for FlyingMelissa Stewart2016Fish in a TreeLynda Mullaly Hunt2017Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying MachineHeather Lang2018This House, OnceDeborah Freedman2019The Rough PatchBrian Lies2020The Bridge HomePadma Venkatraman2021Let's Dance!Valerie Bolling2022Red, White, and WholeRajani LaRocca2023That Egg Is Mine!Liz Goulet DuBois2024Wombats Are Pretty Weird: A [Not So] Serious GuideAbi Cushman2025Small Things MendedCasey W. Robinson and Nancy Whitesides2026Cat NapBrian Lies
New York +YearTitleAuthor2011Sugar and IceKate Messner2012Thelonious MouseOrel Protopopescu2013Capture the FlagKate Messner2014Crankenstein!Samantha Berger2015Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (And Their Noses) are Saving The WorldNancy Castaldo2016The Truth About Twinkie PieKat Yeh2017Saving Kate’s FlowersCindy Sommer2018Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and FeelNancy Castaldo2019Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus BoycottDee Romito2020The Little Green GirlLisa Anchin2021The Boy and the GorillaJackie Azúa Kramer2022Dumplings for LiliMelissa Iwai2023Don't Look BackKeely Hutton and Achut Deng2024BigVashti Harrison2025Five StoriesEllen Weinstein2026The Trouble with HeroesKate Messner
South-East (Florida / Georgia / South Carolina / North Carolina / Alabama / Mississippi) +YearTitleAuthor2011Rosa's Bus: The Ride to Civil RightsJo S. Kittinger2012Cleopatra's MoonVicky Alvear Shecter2013Glory BeAugusta Scattergood2014The Ballad of Jessie PearlShannon Hitchcock2015Just a Drop of WaterKerry Cerra2016Outer Space Bedtime RaceRob Sanders2017WishBarbara O’Connor2018MouseZebo Ludvicek2019Evangeline of the BayouJan Eldredge2020The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav PayengSophia Gholz2021The Little Blue CottageKelly Jordan2022The Longest LetsgoboyDerick Wilder2023Moon TreeCarolyn Bennett Fraiser and Simona Mulazzani2024I Ship: A Container Ship's Colossal JourneyKelly Schmitt and Jam Dong2025Abuelita's Gift: A Día de Muertos StoryMariana Ríos Ramírez and Sara Palacios2026The Blue Jays That Grew a ForestLynn Street and Anne Hunter
South-West (Nevada / Arizona / Utah / Colorado / Wyoming / New Mexico) +YearTitleAuthor2011Swoon At Your Own RiskSydney Salter Husseman2012Black & White: The Confrontation Between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" ConnorLarry Brimner2013How to Baby Sit a GrandpaJean Reagan2014Tea REXMolly Idle2015All Four StarsTara Dairman2016AudacityMelanie Crowder2017Space Boy and the Space PirateDian Curtis Regan2018If Your Monster Won’t Go to BedDenise Vega2019The 11:11 WishKim Tomsic2020TrumanJean Reidy2021Midnight at the Barclay HotelFleur Bradley2022WatercressAndrea Y. Wang2023Dark on LightDianne White and Felicita Sala2024Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie AndrewsJulie Hedlund and Ilaria Urbinati2025The Ofrenda That We BuiltJolene Gutiérrez and Shaian Gutiérrez and Gabby Zapata2026The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia WangStan Yan
Texas / Oklahoma