Ezra Jack Keats Award

The Ezra Jack Keats Award for Writer was established in 1985 to recognize and encourage authors starting out in the field of children's books. The Ezra Jack Keats Award for llustrator was added in 2001, and for Honor Books, in 2012. Many past winners of the EJK Award have gone on to distinguished careers creating books beloved by parents, children, librarians and teachers across the country.

The Ezra Jack Keats Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of picture books for children (age 9 and under) and is presented 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. Since 2012, the EJK Award has been co-presented by the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection during the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. The New York Public Library served as co-presenter from 1986 to 2011.

To be eligible, writers and illustrators must have previously published no more than three books. The EJK Award and a prize of $3,000 are given to each of the winners.

For more information on this award and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, visit the website of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.

 

Past Ezra Jack Keats Recipients