Please join us in congratulating all the winners and finalists of the 61st Georgia Author of the Year Awards!

Read on for more information about the winners and finalists in the following categories:

Posthumous Lifetime Achievement, Biography, Children’s Book, Detective/Mystery, First Novel, History, Inspirational, Literary Novel, Memoir, Poetry Chapbook, Poetry Full-Length, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Short Story Collection, Specialty, and Young Adult.

Read the judges’ statements for winners and finalists here.

Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award

Carey Scott Wilkerson

Black and white photo of author Carey Scott Wilkerson.
Book cover of Cruel Fever of the Sky. A green aurora borealis sky.

Biography

Winner:

Genius of Sport -- Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, and the Birth of the Olympic Movement -- A Brief Biography of a Forgotten Hero
by George Hirthler

Finalist:

Vagabond Princess
by Ruby Lal

George Hirthler standing in front of a beige background.
Pierre De Coubertin's photo against a navy blue and gold-trimmed background.

Children’s Book

Winner:

Yaya and the Sea
by Karen Good Marable, Illustrated by Tonya Engel

Finalist:

When a Monster Meditates
by Cat Gayle,
Illustrated
by Joan Coleman

Karen Good Marable roller-skating in front of an orange, green, yellow, and white checkered wall.
A black girl looking off to a black family sitting on a red picnic blanket in front of a blue ocean.

Detective/Mystery

Winner:
What You Leave Behind
by Wanda Morris

Finalist:
Nothing But The Bones
by Brian Panowich

Wanda Morris standing in front of green trees and a white bridge.
A brown house surrounding by darkened trees and grass, and a sunset orange sky.

First Novel

Winner:
Inside the Mirror
by Parul Kapur

Finalist:
Masquerade
by O.O. Sangoyomi

Parul Kapur standing in front of green trees.
A reflection of two women with black hair, against a yellow, green, and red background.

History

Winner:
A Debt of Gratitude: How Jimmy Carter Put Vietnam Veterans’ Issues on the National Agenda
by Glenn Robins

Finalist:
James Oglethorpe: Father of Georgia, a Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist
by Michael L. Thurmond

Glenn Robins standing in front of a brown brick house.
Jimmy Carter and two men standing with a gray statue.

Inspirational

Winner:
Dig Deeper: A 21-Week Guide to Self-Discovery Through Plants
by Alisha M. Bridges

Finalist:
The Playbook
by Gary E. Parker

Alisha M. Bridges standing in front of a green and white backdrop.
A group of green leaves on a yellow background.

Literary Novel

Winner:
The Banana Wars
by Alan Grostephan

Finalist:
Flight of the Wild Swan
by Melissa Pritchard

Alan Grostephan sitting in front of a white window.
A green jungle and mountains with a yellow sky.

Memoir

Winner:
Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor’s Unlikely Adventure
by Mimi Zieman

Finalist:
The Innermost House
by Cynthia Blakeley

Author Mimi Zieman in a black shirt.
A woman in blue and purple ski gear standing on a gray and white mountain.

Poetry Chapbook

Winner:
Broken Grace at Low Tide
by Sally Stewart Mohney

Finalist:
Ilze’s Daughter
by Livija (Riki) Bolster

Sally Stewart Mohney sitting in a tan chair.
A painting of a teal ocean and beige sand,

Poetry Full-Length

Winner:
A Night in the Country
by Laura Newbern

Finalist:
In Another Country
by Andrea Jurjević

Laura Newbern standing in a black chair and looking down.
A navy blue and black square joined together with the following in white text, "A Night in the Country"

Romance

Winner:
PS: I Hate You
by Lauren Connolly

Finalist:
Dividing Sky
by Jill Tew

Lauren Connolly sitting in front of a gray wall and leaning on a brown table.
A beige background with icons of red, blue, and yellow puzzle pieces.

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Winner:
Alan Dreams of Giants

by T.M. May

Finalist:
The Sky on Fire

by Jenn Lyons

Author T.M. May stands in front of a Magnolia tree.
A blonde man sitting on the ground and surrounded by images of brown and blue eyes.

Short Story Collection

Winner:

Zan: Stories

by Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh

Finalist:

The Women Who Would Not Die by  Uddipana Goswami 

Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh sitting in front of a black bookshelf full of books.
A woman staring off to the left and encased in a light orange starry layer.

Specialty

Winner:
Small Altars
by Justin Gardiner

Finalist:
The Fermentation Oracle: Readings and Recipes to Take You on a Magical Culinary Journey
by Julia Skinner

Author Justin Gardiner in a black button up shirt.
A blonde child wearing blue headphones and levitating.

Young Adult

Winner:
Blood Justice
by Terry J. Benton Walker

Finalist:
Jasmine is Haunted
by Mark Oshiro

Image of author Terry J. Benton Walker wearing a brown coat.
Three black individuals wrapped up in green and red foliage, a red moon, and a red skeleton key.