Américas Award

The Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) founded the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 1993 to encourage and commend authors, illustrators, and publishers who produce quality children’s and young adult books that portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States, and to provide teachers with recommendations for classroom use. CLASP offers up to two annual book awards, together with a commended list of titles. By linking the Americas, the intent is to reach beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. The awards are administered by CLASP and coordinated by both Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies and Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies.

All titles are available for free checkout through the CLACX Lending Library.

See all award winners, honorable mentions, and commended titles on the Américas Award webpage.

Engage with Américas Award Books:

Criteria

Books will be judged by the Américas Award Review Committee for: 1) distinctive literary quality; 2) cultural contextualization; 3) exceptional integration of text, illustration, and design; and 4) potential for classroom use.

Process

To nominate a copyright title, publishers are invited to submit review copies to the committee members. There is no entry fee. Visit www.claspprograms.org/americasaward for more information on the submission process.