The Cybils Awards for Nonfiction are annual literary awards for children's nonfiction. Awards were previously presented for picture books (2006–2012), juvenile (2016), middle grade and young adult (2006–2012), elementary and middle grade (2013–2015), junior high (2017–2019), and young adult (2013–2016). The award is current presented across four categories: elementary (since 2016), middle grade (since 2016), and senior high (since 2017). The award was last presented in 2024, with the organization taking a hiatus in 2025.
Recipients
Picture books (2006–2012) Year Author(s) Title Result 2006, illus. by Sylvia Long Winner3-D ABC: A Sculptural AlphabetFinalistsAliens Are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast, illus. by Cathie Felstead, illus. by Alan MarksLittle Lost Bat2007LightshipWinner, illus. by Scot RitchieLet's Go!FinalistsLiving ColorOne Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II, illus. by Scot RitchieVulture View and Yael Schy, photos by Dwight KuhnWhere in the Wild?2008FrogsWinner, illus. by Melissa Sweet FinalistsAstronaut Handbook, illus. by Larry DayDuel! Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of WordsFabulous FishesWanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to DrawWangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa2009, illus. by Tony PersianiWinner with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, illus. by Thomas Gonzalez14 Cows for AmericaFinalistDown, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea: , Cynthia Pon, and Magda NakassisFaith (ed.), photos by Teruyuki KomiyaLife-Size Zoo: From Tiny Rodents to Gigantic Elephants, An Actual Size Animal Encyclopedia, illus. by Edwin FotheringhamMermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History!Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 112010, illus. by Edwin FotheringhamWinnerBones: Skeletons and How They WorkFinalistDinosaur Mountain: Digging into the Jurassic AgeHenry Aaron's DreamPop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum, illus. by Brian PinkneySit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, illus. by Sean QuallsSkit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald2011I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History's Strangest CuresWinner, illus. by Katherine TillotsonAll the Water in the WorldFinalistBring On the Birds, illus. by Vicky WhiteCan We Save the Tiger?, illus. by Wendy Anderson HalperinPlanting the Wild GardenThunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators2012, illus. by Melissa Sweet Mrs Harkness and the PandaWinnerBalloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's ParadeFinalist, illus. by Brita GranströmDolphin Baby!illus. by Betsy ThompsonEggs 1, 2, 3: Who Will the Babies Be?Island: A Story of the GalápagosLooking at LincolnSnakes
Juvenile (2016) Year Author Title Result 2016Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. WhiteWinner and Animal PlanetAnimal Planet Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool AnimalsFinalistsFloodwaters and Flames: The 1913 Disaster in Dayton, OhioMasters of Disguise: Amazing Animal TrickstersWill's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk
Middle grade and young adult (2006–2012) Year Author Title Result 2006Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus BoycottWinnerEscape!FinalistsImmersed in Verse, illustrated by Boris KulikovIsaac NewtonTeam Moon2007Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian ChildhoodWinnerMarie CurieFinalists, illustrated by Simon BasherSmart-OpediaTracking TrashWho Was First?2008 and John BusbyWinner11 Planets: A New View of the Solar SystemFinalistsAin't Nothing but a ManBody DramaKing George: What Was His Problem?Lincoln Through the LensSwords: An Artist's DevotionWe Are the Ship2009, illustrated by Andy CominsWinnerClaudette Colvin: Twice Toward JusticeFinalistI Can't Keep My Own SecretsMarching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow WearyWritten in Bone2010WinnerFinalistKakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot and Ellen PotterSpilling Ink: A Young Writer's HandbookUnder a Red Sky: Memoir of a Childhood in Communist Romania2011Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia EarhartWinnerHow They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully FamousFinalist, illus. by Stephen BiestyInto the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and AirUnraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I2012Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous WeaponWinnerLast Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from WarFinalistMoonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the WorldTitanic: Voices from the Disaster
Elementary and middle grade (2013–2015) Year Author Title Result 2013Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own BackyardWinnerAnubis Speaks!FinalistBarbed Wire BaseballHow Big Were Dinosaurs?LocomotiveThe Boy Who Loved Math, illustrated by Susan SwanVolcano Rising2014Feathers: Not Just for FlyingWinnerAngel Island: Gateway to Gold MountainFinalistChasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa's Fastest CatHandle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly JourneySeparate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for DesegregationWhen Lunch Fights Back2015, illustrated by Jennifer PlecasI, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They AreWinnerEmmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu YeboahFinalistFatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid MaryGuts & Glory: The VikingsKid presidents: True Tales of Childhood from America's presidentsOne Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the GambiaUntamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall
Elementary (2016–) Year Author Title Result 2016Giant SquidWinner, illus. by Sophie BlackallFinding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous BearFinalistPink Is for Blobfish: Discovering the World's Perfectly Pink Animals, illus. by Mia PosadaPlants Can't Sit Still, illus. by Daniel MinterStep Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, illus. by E. B. LewisTortuga Squad: Kids Saving Sea Turtles in Costa Rica 2017Hatching Chicks in Room 6Winner with Tuan Ho, illustrated by Brian DeinesAdrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy's Story of SurvivalFinalistDanza!: Amalia Hernández and Mexico's Folkloric Ballet, illus. by Victo NgaiDazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of ConfusionOnce Upon a Jungle, illus. by Marta Álvarez MiguénsShark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless ScientistWhat Makes a Monster?: Discovering the World's Scariest Creatures 2018, illus. by Felicita SalaJoan Procter, Dragon DoctorWinnerFinalist, illus. by Liz Amini-HolmesChester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story, illus. by Nicole WongFlying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible AlvinSaving Fiona: The Story of the World's Most Famous Baby Hippo, illus. by Marie Lafrance , illus. by Ekua HolmesWhat Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan 2019, illus. by Jason ChinNine Months: Before a Baby Is BornWinner, illus. by Shawn FieldsMonument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln MemorialFinalist, illus. by Daniel EgnéusMothSea Bear: A Journey for Survival, illus. by Sarah S. BrannenSeashells: More Than a Home, illus. by Keith MallettSonny's Bridge: Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Finds His Groove and Patthana Sornhiran, illus. by Dow PhumirukTitan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team 2020 and Adam RexWinner, illus. by Marta Álvarez MiguénsDinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First PaleontologistFinalist, illus. by Eric RohmannHoneybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley (eds.), illus. by Jeanette BradleyNo Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, illus. by Nabi H. Ali, illus. by Duane Smith, illus. by Yas ImamuraWinged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery 2021, illus. by Iacopo BrunoBartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret HeroWinner, illus. by Brooke SmartCode Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World WarsFinalist, illus. by Paul BostonMimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature, illus. by Chris SasakiSakamoto's Swim Club: How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team to Victory, illus. by Hadley Hooper, illus. by Jana Christy, illus. by Frané LessacWe Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know 2022, illus. by Dan TavisGood Eating: The Short Life of Krill Winner, illustrated by Juana Martinez-NealFinalist, illustrated by Daniel MinterBlue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky, illustrated by Aaron CushleyIf the World Were 100 Animals: A Visual Guide to Earth's Amazing Creatures, illustrated by Devon HolzwarthListen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed PercussionMarcel's Masterpiece: How a Toilet Shaped the History of Art, illustrated by Jenn Ely2023Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping SpiderWinner, illustrated by Chaaya PrabhatGlitter Everywhere!: Where it Came From, Where It's Found & Where It's GoingFinalist and Kim Freeman, illustrated by Keith MallettIce Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better, illustrated by Becca HallMeet The Bears, illustrated by Anna López RealPiece by Piece: Ernestine's Gift for President Roosevelt, illustrated by Marta Álvarez MiguénsWhat's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon?: And Other Questions About Moths & Butterflies2024, illustrated by Corban WilkinMy Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much MoreWinner, illustrated by Paola EscobarFinalist and Tony Johnston, illustrated by Anisi BaigudeBorn Naughty, illustrated by Christopher Silas NealCreep, Leap, Crunch! A Food Chain Story, illustrated by Natalia Rojas CastroDaughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez, illustrated by Michelle LeeMy Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story, Illustrated by Luisa UribeWhen Beavers Flew
Middle grade (2016–)