Known collectively as the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators starting out in the field of children’s books. Many past winners of the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award have gone on to distinguished careers creating books beloved by parents, children, librarians and teachers around the world.

The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of picture books for children (age 9 and under) by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. A distinguished selection committee of early childhood education specialists, librarians, illustrators and experts in children’s literature reviews the entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. The EJK Book Award was co-presented by the New York Public Library from 1986 to 2011. As of 2012, the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection is co-presenting the award at the Children’s Book Festival, held in April at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg.

To be eligible, writers and illustrators must have published no more than three books. The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award includes an honorarium of $1,000 for each winner.

Submission guidelines from the de Grummond Collection:
New Writer Award • New Illustrator Award