Congratulations 2026
Heartland Booksellers Award Finalists!
The Heartland Booksellers Award is a joint award given annually by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association. Vote today! All MIBA and GLIBA bookselling members are eligible to vote. Voting ends Friday, August 14th.
Celebrate the winners by joining us at the Heartland Booksellers Award Ceremony this October during Heartland Fall Forum in Minneapolis.
Celebrate the winners by joining us at the Heartland Booksellers Award Ceremony this October during Heartland Fall Forum in Minneapolis.
FICTION FINALISTS
NONFICTION FINALISTS
POETRY FINALISTS
YA / MIDDLE GRADE FINALISTS
PICTURE BOOK FINALISTS
The Heartland Booksellers Award is a reflection of handselling at its best, as all the books are selected directly by independent booksellers, and celebrate literature in the Great Lakes and Midwest, with content about the region, or an author from our region. The Heartland Booksellers Award is a joint award given annually by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and Midwest Independent Booksellers Association at Heartland Fall Forum in October. Thank you for voting!
Criteria
• A book's relationship to the Midwest or Great Lakes region may consist of either the content of the book, the author's hometown, or the author's current residence.
• Books must be classifiable in one of five awarded genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, YA/Middle Grade, or Children's Picture Book.
• Books submitted for the 2026 book awards must have an on-sale date between 5/1/25 and 4/30/26
• The deadline to submit titles ends 6/30/26.
Instructions
GLIBA and MIBA accept nominations separately based on book and author location in relation to their respective regional states and then combine titles for the finalist vote. Publishers and booksellers can submit titles.
• It is free for booksellers to nominate titles.
• There is a $50 fee for publishers to nominate titles.
• A book's relationship to the Midwest or Great Lakes region may consist of either the content of the book, the author's hometown, or the author's current residence.
• Books must be classifiable in one of five awarded genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, YA/Middle Grade, or Children's Picture Book.
• Books submitted for the 2026 book awards must have an on-sale date between 5/1/25 and 4/30/26
• The deadline to submit titles ends 6/30/26.
Instructions
GLIBA and MIBA accept nominations separately based on book and author location in relation to their respective regional states and then combine titles for the finalist vote. Publishers and booksellers can submit titles.
• It is free for booksellers to nominate titles.
• There is a $50 fee for publishers to nominate titles.
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GLIBA Submissions: You can submit books by authors from the following states or books with content that pertains specifically to these states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
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MIBA Submissions: You can submit books by authors from the following states or books with content that pertains specifically to these states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
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