SCBWI Winners of the 2026 Crystal Kite Awards

SCBWI Winners of the 2026 Crystal Kite Awards

On July 29th, SCBWI announced the winners and honorees of the 2026 Crystal Kite Awards!The Crystal Kite Award recognizes outstanding books by our amazing SCBWI members from all over the world! An award that celebrates books with "exceptional storytelling, imaginative illustrations, and creative excellence," this award is truly special as it is given by their peers, the other creators in our community. 

Atlantic

Winner: Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year Story 

Written by Sylvia Chen, illustrated by Thai My Phuong 

(Flamingo Books)

Honor: Lighthouse Ladies: Shining a Spotlight on Hardy Heroines
Written by Kris Coronado, illustrated by Islenia Mil 

(Clarion Books)

California & Hawaii

Winner: I AM NOT HAPPY! 

Written by Caroline Perry, illustrated by Sydney Hanson 

(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Honor: Firefly Song: Lynn Frierson Faust and The Great Smoky Mountain Discovery
Written by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim 

(Margaret K. McElderry Books)






Midsouth

Winner: You Can Sit With Me 

Written by Rachel Tawil Kenyon, illustrated by Tatiana Kasmshilina
(Feiwel & Friends)

Honor: Henry's Picture-Perfect Day
Written by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song
(Chronicle Books)









Midwest

Winner: STUCK! The Story of La Brea Tar Pits 

Written by Joyce P. Uglow, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova
(Bushel & Peck Books)

Honor: Maybe Just Ask Me!
Written and illustrated by Katie Mazeika
(Beach Lane Books)









New England

Winner: Cat Nap 

Written and illustrated by Brian Lies
(Greenwillow Books)

Honor: Woody’s Word’s: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows
Written by Lisa Rogers, illustrated by Susan Reagan
(Calkins Creek)









New York

Winner: The Trouble with Heroes 

Written by Kate Messner
(Bloomsbury Children's Books)

Honor: Dinos That Drive
Written by Suzy Levinson, illustrated by Dustin Harbin
(Tundra Books)









Southeast

Winner: The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest 

Written by Lynn Street, illustrated by Anne Hunter
(Margaret Quinlin Books)

Honor: A Flea For Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change
Written by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by TeMika Grooms
(Charlesbridge)

Southwest

Winner: The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang 

Written and illustrated by Stan Yan
(Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Honor: It Started With a P
Written by Brittany Pomales, illustrated by Andrew Joyner
(Flamingo Books)








Texas & Oklahoma

Winner: Racing the Clouds 

Written by Sydney Dunlap
(Jolly Fish Press)

Honor: So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story
Written by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey
(Clarion Books)








West

Winner: I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive 

Written by Leslie Barnard Booth, illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey
(Chronicle Books)

Honor: The Arguers
Written and illustrated by Corinna Luyken
(Rocky Pond Books)







Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania

Winner: Grandmother from the East, Grandmother from the West 

Written by Jacinta Liu, illustrated by Freda Chiu
(Lothian Children's Books)

Honor:
 Emmie Builds Something New
Written and illustrated by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall
(Red Comet Press)







Canada & North America

Winner: The Dog Who Saved the Bees 

Written Stephanie Gibeault, illustrated by David Hohn
(Sleeping Bear Press)

Honor: Will and Krill
Written and illustrated by Stacey Byer
(Beaming Books)

Europe & Central, South and Latin America & Africa

Winner: Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon 

Written Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Aimee Sicuro
(Candlewick Press)

Honor: How to Reach the Moon
Written by Nicolás Schuff, illustrated by Ana Sender, translated by Lawrence Schimel
(Amazon Crossing Kids)







Middle East & Asia

Winner: Under Pressure: Freddie Mercury's Countdown to Fame written by Shyamala Shanmugasundaram, illustrated by Pankaj Saikia
(Niyogi Books)

Honor: Little Sheku and the Animal Orchestra
Written by Sheku Kanneh-Mason, illustrated by Rekha Salin
(Puffin Books)

Honor: The Beat of the Dragon Boat

Written by Christina Matula, illustrated by Nicole Wong
(Sleeping Bear Press)






United Kingdom and Ireland

Winner: Street Puppy, Masjid Cat 

Written by Moniza Hossain, illustrated by Wastana Haikal
(little bee books)

Honor: Atlas of Mythical Journeys
Written by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Iryna Dobrovetska
(Wide Eyed Editions)