Action/Adventure; Addiction & Recovery; Adult Coloring Books; African American Fiction; African American Nonfiction; Aging; Alternative Medicine; Animals; Animals/Pets; Anthology; Apocalyptic Fiction; Art Book; Arts & Entertainment; Audiobook, Autobiography;

Beauty; Bilingual Dual Language; Biographical Fiction; Biography/General; Biography/Historical; Book Cover Design/Fiction; Book Cover Design/Nonfiction; Book Interior Design Fiction; Book Interior Design Nonfiction; Bullying; Business/General; Business/Entrepreneurship & Small Business; Business/Motivational;

Cancer; Career; Caregiving; Chapter Books; Children’s Book Categories; Chick-Lit; Christian Fiction; Christian Nonfiction; Cli-Fi; Coaching; Coffee Table Book; Comedy; Comics and Graphic Novels; Coming of Age; Computer; Contemporary Novel; Cookbooks/General; Cookbooks/International; Cookbooks/Regional; Conservation; COVID; Cozy Mystery; Crafts-Hobbies; Crime Fiction; Crime Fiction/Hardboiled; Crime/Noir; Crime/True; Cross Genre; Current Events;

Death & Dying; Diet & Nutrition; Diversity; Divorce; Dreams/Dreaming; Dystopian; Education; Entertainment; Environment; Epic; Fantasy; Fantasy Dark; Fashion; Fiction; Finance; Fine Arts; Fitness; Flash Fiction; Foodie Romance; Friendship; Gift Books; Green; Grief; Guide Book; Health/Wellness; Healthcare; Historical Fiction; Historical Nonfiction; History/World; History/United States; Holiday; Holocaust; Home & Garden; Horror; How-to; Humor;

Illustration Adults; Illustration General; Inspiration; LGBTQ Fiction; LGBTQ Nonfiction; Leadership; Legal Thriller; Literary Fiction;

Magical Realism; Marketing & Public Relations; Marriage; Medical; Medical Thriller; Memoir; Mental Health; Men’s Health; Military Fiction; Military Nonfiction; Mind/Body/Spirit; Miscellaneous; Motivational; Movies and Television; Multicultural-Fiction; Multicultural-Non-Fiction; Music; Mystery; Mythology

Narrative Nonfiction; Nature; Neurodiversity; New Adult Fiction; New Adult Nonfiction; New Fiction (First time published); New Nonfiction (First time published); Nonfiction; Noir Fiction; Nostalgia; Novella

Paranormal; Parenting & Family; Performing Arts/Film, Theater, Dance & Music; Personal Growth; Philosophy; Photography; Plays; Picture Books All Ages; Poetry; Political; Political Thriller; Pop Culture Fiction; Pop Culture Nonfiction; Post-Apocalyptic Fiction; Pregnancy & Childbirth; Psychiatry/Psychology; Public Relations

Reference; Relationships; Religion/Fiction; Religion/Nonfiction; Romance; Romantic Comedy; Romantic Suspense; Sales & Marketing; Science; Science Fiction; Screenplay; Self Help/ General; Self Help/Motivational; Senior Topics; Series; Sexuality; Short Stories; Small Books; Social/Political Change; Social Media; Southern Fiction; Southern Noir; Spanish; Special Needs; Specialty Books; Speculative Fiction; Spiritualism; Spiritual/Spirituality; Sports; Steampunk; Summer Beach Read; Supernatural; Suspense;

Technology; Thriller; Time Travel; Travel; Urban Fantasy; Visionary Fiction; War Fiction; War Nonfiction; Weird Book Genre; Well-Being; Western Fiction; Western Nonfiction; Women’s Fiction; Women’s Issues; Women’s Health; Writing/Publishing; Young Adult Fiction; Young Adult Nonfiction; Young Author – written by under age 25; Young Author – written by teenage 13-18; Young Author – written by age 12 and under

QUIRKY CATEGORIES

Best Author Bio Award – Best Book Club Pick Award – Best Back Cover Award – Best Book Title Award – Best Book Trailer Award – Best Chapter Titles Award – Best Food Descriptions Award – Best for Provoking Philosophical Discussions Award – Best for Reading Aloud Award – Most Unusual Setting Award – Best Plot Twist Award – Best Unconventional Love Story Award – Favorite Book Title to Say Out Loud Award – Best Use of Poetry in a Novel Award – Best to Read on a Rainy Day Award – Book that Feels Like a Work of Art Award – Most Unforgettable Opening Line Award – Most Heartwarming Award – Most Likely to Inspire a Sequel Award – Most Quotable Book Award – Most Likely to Make You Cry Award – Most Misleading Title Award – Quirkiest Character Names Award – Most Unlikely Bestseller Award

 

Children, Juvenile, Pre-teen, Teen book Categories

Adventure – Animals/Pets – Bedtime – Best Cover Design-Fiction – Best Cover Design-Nonfiction – Bilingual – Biography – Board Book – Book Cover Design/Fiction – Book Cover Design/Nonfiction – Book Interior Design Fiction – Book Interior Design Nonfiction – Chapter Book – Children’s Literature – Christian Fiction – Christian Nonfiction – Cookbook – Cross-genre – Diversity – Dual Language – Educational – Early Readers 5-8 –  Environment

Fable – Fairy Tale – Fantasy – Farm Life – Fiction – Folklore – Graphic Novel – Grief/Death – Hatchling
Awards (0-2) – Health/Mental Health – Historical Fiction – Historical Nonfiction – Holiday – How To – Humor – Illustration – Interactive –  Inspirational/Motivational – Juvenile Fiction – Juvenile Nonfiction – LGBTQ Fiction – LGBTQ Nonfiction – Multicultural – Multigenerational – Mystery – Nature – Nonfiction

Picture Books Ages 4-8 – Picture Book – Poetry – Pre-School Ages 2-4 – Pre-Teen Fiction – Pre-Teen Nonfiction – Realistic Fiction – Religious – Science Fiction – Spanish Version of these categories – Special Needs – Sports – Teen – Travel – Young Author written by teens 13-18 – Young Author written by age 12 and under

QUIRKY CHILDREN’S BOOK CATEGORIES

CELEBRATING CONTENT

Epic Escapades Award
Books featuring exciting and daring adventures that go beyond the ordinary.

Fanciful Fun Award
Books that are simply fun, full of humor, and imagination.

Furry Friends Award
Books featuring animals that do extraordinary things.

Monster Mash-Up Award
Books about friendly or funny monsters who are a little out of the ordinary.

Mystery Mayhem Award
Books full of puzzling adventures and unexpected twists.

Out-of-the-Box Adventures Award
Books where characters do things in the most unexpected and creative ways.

Superheroes and Sidekicks Award
Books featuring ordinary kids with extraordinary powers or funny sidekicks who steal the show.

Unlikely Friendships Award
Books about unusual pairs of characters who form the most unexpected bonds.

Unlikely Heroes Award
Books where the hero is someone (or something) you least expect.

Whimsical Wonders Award
Books that are filled with magic, wonder, and quirky characters.

CELEBRATING ILLUSTRATIONS

Art that Pops Award
Books where the illustrations have a three-dimensional or lively feel, leaping off the page in exciting ways.

Artful Adventures Award
Books where the illustrations create their own narrative, making the artwork just as essential as the words.

Dazzling Details Award
Books with intricate, detailed illustrations.

Epic Expressions Award
Books where the characters’ emotions are captured with exceptional expressiveness through illustrations.

Illustration Innovation Award
Books with groundbreaking or unconventional illustration styles that push artistic boundaries.

Picture Perfect Pizzazz Award
Books where the illustrations steal the show, full of vibrant colors, dynamic scenes, and creative compositions.

Whimsical Wonders on Every Page Award
Books where every illustration feels like a magical or whimsical work of art.

CELEBRATING LAYOUT

Creative Composition Award
Books where the layout cleverly enhances the narrative with thoughtful arrangements of text and illustrations.

Dynamic Design Award
Books with layouts that feel energetic and full of movement, with text and illustrations that shift and change in exciting ways.

Interactive Impressions Award
Books where the layout invites interaction, such as flip pages, pop-ups, or dynamic designs that engage the reader in a fun, physical way.

Visual Vibes Award
Books where the layout is not only functional but also conveys the mood of the story through the use of space, color, and design.

NEW FOR 2026 – The Firebird Hatchling Award – Childrens’ Books ages 0-2

This award honors books that delight, engage, and inspire through touch, sight, sound, and simple stories. Eligible titles include board books, sensory and interactive books, high-contrast and musical books, concept books, and read-alouds and rhymes —anything that sparks curiosity, nurtures early learning, and fosters a love of reading from the very first days.

Are we missing any categories? If so, let us know. Email pr@speakuptalkradio.com

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S CONTEST