Winners Announced September 12, 2020, September 12, 2020  

The International Latino Book Awards is a major reflection that the fastest growing group in the USA has truly arrived. The Awards are now the largest Latino cultural Awards in the USA, with the 297 finalists this year in 96 categories. The Intl. Latino Books Awards have honored 3,194 authors and publishers over the past two decades. The size of the Awards is proof that books, by and about Latinos, are in high demand. In 2020 Latinos will purchase over $750 million in books in English and Spanish. 

This year the Awards Ceremony will be held virtually on September 12, 2020. It is free and open to the public to view on www.LatinoBookAwards.org. The event will begin at 2:30 with entertainment and the Ceremony at 3PM (PST).

Five new award have been renamed after people who have both opened for writers and the Latino community overall. These are: The Rudy Anaya Best Latino Focused Fiction Award in honor of the late “grandfather of Chicano literature” Rudy Anaya; the Isabel Allende Best Inspirational Fiction Award in honor of the best selling Latina author in the world, Isabel Allende; the Alma Flor Ada Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book Award for luminary of children’s literature, Alma Flor Ada; The Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Award for the first Latino U.S. Poet Laureate; and The Victor Villaseñor Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Award for the trailblazing author.

In 2021 we are adding: The Charlie Ericksen Best Book Written by a Youth Award for the editor who mentored more Latino journalists than anyone; the Dolores Huerta Best Community Service Book Award for the woman who has inspired millions; the Hank Lacayo Best Labor Book Award for the labor leader; the Mimi Lozano Best Family History Book Award for the woman lives to see family histories created; the Ambassador Julian Nava Best Educational Themed Book Award and the Raul Yzaguirre Best Political/Current Affairs Book Award for the man of many firsts. 

 About 40% of all winners were were published by U.S. or international publishers; 25% from medium sized publishing house; and 35% were from small publishing houses or even self published. In order to handle this large number of books, the Awards had 214 judges in 2020. The judges almost in unison shared that this was by far the best year yet for the Awards and how hard it was because there are now so many great books being published. Judges included librarians, educators, media professionals, leaders of national organizations, and Pulitzer Prize Winners. The Awards celebrates books in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Finalists are from across the USA and Puerto Rico, as well as from 17 other countries. 

The Awards are produced by Empowering Latino Futures, formerly Latino Literacy Now, a nonprofit organization co-founded in 1997 by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler. For more information 760-579-1696.

Here is a complete list of the finalists:

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