Northern California Book Awards
https://poetryflash.org • https://sfpl.org
Media contacts: Joyce Jenkins, 510-612-3958, [email protected], or Kim McMillon, 510-681-5652, [email protected]
45th ANNUAL
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARDS
Northern California's vibrant literary scene will celebrate on Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2:00pm, Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Main Library, Civic Center, San Francisco, when the 45th annual Northern California Book Awards will recognize books published in 2025 by Northern California authors and California translators. The NCBAs are presented by the Northern California Book Reviewers, Poetry Flash, and the San Francisco Public Library, with our community partners Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter and Mechanics' Institute Library. The event is free and open to the public.
Winning authors will accept their awards and present remarks on their books. Finalists and honored books will be available for purchase and signing. A reception follows in the San Francisco Main Library’s Latino/Hispanic Community Room.
The Fred Cody Award for Lifetime Achievement and Service will be presented for lifetime achievement and distinguished service to the literary community. The NCBA Recognition Award will be presented to a book or literary project that falls outside of NCBA categories. The NCBA Groundbreaker Award will be presented to a literary figure, work, or project representing pioneering and innovative work in the literary community. The California Translation Awards in Poetry and Prose will honor works of translation by translators based anywhere in California.
Northern California reviewers and editors, members of Northern California Book Reviewers, select the awards. Membership is open to eligible Northern California reviewers and editors. All of the nominated books, the NCBR Recommended Reading List, will be acknowledged and celebrated at the ceremony. Jurors’ statements by members of the Northern California Book Reviewers will be available in the event program and after the awards on the NCBA page at Poetryflash.org.
The list of honorees and more information will be posted on Poetryflash.org later this summer.
The categories are: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Children’s Literature, and the California Translation Awards: Poetry and Prose.
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