2025 CATEGORY WINNERS
(for books with 2025 copyrights)
NOTE: The allocation of silver, bronze and finalist awards is directly influenced by the total number of category entries and any possible ties, ensuring a fair and competitive recognition process for all participants.
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CHILDREN’S CATEGORIES
GENERAL CATEGORIES -FICTION
GENERAL CATEGORIES – NON-FICTION
POETRY
CLASSICS DIVISION WINNERS (books with copyrights PRIOR to 2025)
Awards Home
CHILDREN’S CATEGORIES
Preschool/Toddler (Newborn to Age 5)
GOLD: The Tail That Told the Truth, Jory Perry, Independently Published
SILVER: Eli the Eel, Trina Burkhart, GramWorks Studio
BRONZE: Stop Snoring, Dad!, Jackie Myers, Halo Publishing International
FINALIST: Cal Has Three Legs, Sasha Milena Filipovich, Tellwell
GOLD: The Roll-Away Snowman, Junia Wonders, Gmuer Verlag
SILVER: Wagon of Worries, Ruthie Godfrey, Independently Published
SILVER: At the Ragtag Hotel: The Elevator Ride, Freya Novak, Independently Published
BRONZE: No Books For Benjamin?, R.G. de Rouen, Globetrotter Stories
BRONZE: Welcome Baby Wigglet, A.M. Berkowitz, Book Baby
FINALIST: Jo-Jo Finds His Voice!, Jon Neal Selzer, Today’s Seeds Press
FINALIST: Humm Goes North, Doreen Baker, Reen Publishing
Early Readers (ages 6-8) – NON-FICTION
GOLD: Hu-Ubuntu I Am Because We Are, Patrick Makokoro, Hu-Ubuntu Consulting
SILVER: The Girl Who Kept Going, Tiffany McCarty, Independently Published
GOLD: When the Sky Turned to Dust, Catherine Matthias, Moon Glow Books LLC
SILVER: Lost in Bone Cave, Danielle Simone, Creative Mind Publications
SILVER: The Banana from Space and Other Stories from Riverstone, Olga Podoprigora, Gora Realms
BRONZE: The Cherayroos: Underground Rules, S.P Doran, Independently Published
BRONZE: The Potion Experiment, Elle McFadzean, Independently Published
FINALIST: Mail-Order Monsters: Crash Course, Silvia Acevedo, Three Points Publishing
FINALIST: A Boy’s Best Comrade, Lauren Ennis, Independently Published
Young Readers (ages 8-12) NON-FICTION
GOLD: Where We Land: A Boy, A Plane, and a Dream, Donald Osborn and Anna Henkens Schmidt, Independently Published
SILVER: Hu-Ubuntu I Am Because We Are, Patrick Makokoro, Hu-Ubuntu Books
BRONZE: Something’s Fishy!, Mark Morgan, Outskirts Press
FINALIST: RATS With Backpacks, J. N. Courtney, J. N. Courtney Publications
FINALIST: The King of Haiti: Slavery and the French Colonies, Timothy T Schwartz, Independently Published
GOLD: Losing Austin, Michael J. Bowler, Independently Published
SILVER: The Secrets We Carry, Clay Cormany, Van Velzer Press
BRONZE: Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker, Michael Zummo, Zummo Books LLC
BRONZE: A Child Called Faye, Jess Senff, Wattle Tree Press
FINALIST: The Prisoner of Venice, Rich Meyrick, Speaking Volumes
FINALIST: Walk On, Nan Evenson, Atmosphere Press
GOLD: Rite of Passage, Jeanne Blanchet, Outskirts Press Inc.
SILVER: Losing Austin, Michael J. Bowler, Independently Published
SILVER: A Stellar Purpose III, Natacha Belair, Ocean Storm Publishing
BRONZE: The Secrets We Carry, Clay Cormany, Van Velzer Press
BRONZE: Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker, Michael Zummo, Zummo Books LLC
FINALIST: Ordell’s Constellation, J. C. Cole, Independently Published
FINALIST: Along the Trail, Kaci Curtis, The Wild Rose Press
FINALIST: What I Remember & What I Forgot, Laura K. Soerensen, Books On Demand
Young Adults (ages 16+) NON-FICTION
GOLD: AmeriCANS Who Made America: 19th Century, Richard V. Battle, Headline Books
SILVER: 180° – Big Picture, Small Details, Tudor Matei, Independently Published
GENERAL CATEGORIES – FICTION
GOLD: Sext and the Small City, Aimee Chan, Suitcases & Strollers Pty Ltd
SILVER: Royal Good Time, Victoria E Benoit, Heron & Hummingbird Press
GOLD: Two Crowns, Three Blades, Robert A. Walker, Independently Published
SILVER: Purgatory Academy: Class of 666, Draco Amethystus, Storm Dragon Publishing
BRONZE: Mercy: Tears of the Fallen, Chance Dillon, Light Seeker Publishing
BRONZE: A Pack of Wolves, P.L. Stuart, FriesenPress
FINALIST: The Fives’ Oath: Legacy of the Bloodborn, Mehdi Mejri, Troubador Publishing
FINALIST: The Scion Conspiracy, Mike Cahoon, Independently Published
FINALIST: Wolf of the Nordic Seas, Jennifer Ivy Walker, Green Mermaid Publications
FINALIST: The Roses of Port Townsend, Ethel Steinmetz Marmont, Palmetto Publishing
GOLD: Wednesday Night Whites, Marci Lin Melvin, Her Island Press
SILVER: Life of Her, Elizabeth Conte, Jane Writes Press
SILVER: Little Amish Girl, Viola Estrella, Independently Published
BRONZE: A Life in Frames, Leonora Ross, Independently Published
BRONZE: Drop Dead Cadillac, Gabriel F. W. Koch, Outskirts Press Inc.
FINALIST: Metanoia Cave, Ken Adams, Outskirts Press Inc.
FINALIST: The Broken Weathervane, Laura DeNooyer, Scrivenings Press
FINALIST: Only Now We Are, Nathan Kato-Wallace, Independently Published
FINALIST: Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief, Sheila Sharpe, Redwood Publishing
GOLD: Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft, N.J. Mastro, Black Rose Writing
SILVER: Wednesday Night Whites, Marci Lin Melvin, Her Island Press
SILVER: The Healer’s Daughter, Myriana Merkovic, Independently Published
BRONZE: However Long the Day, K J Kelly, Artempo Publishing
BRONZE: Contests of Strength, Melissa Slager, Truth & Story
FINALIST: Serenade of Sirens: The Lost Boys of Tosa, KD Allbaugh, Battle Ridge Rising Sun Press
FINALIST: Für Elise: A Novel, Mark Splitstone, Amalgam Books
FINALIST: Wolf of the Nordic Seas, Jennifer Ivy Walker, Green Mermaid Publications
GOLD: The Silence: Broken Aegis, David Adams, Independently Published
SILVER: Mirrored, Darkly, Martin V. Parece II, Parece Publishing
BRONZE: Ghost Writer, Arjay Lewis, Mindbender Press
FINALIST: Swallowing the Muskellunge, Lawrence P. O’Brien, LoonCE
FINALIST: Do Not Resuscitate, Scott Eveloff, Black Rose Writing
GOLD: Indifferent Universe, Joseph Blackhurst, Independently Published
SILVER: The Gentleman Thief Steals a Blanket, Mark Nutter, BookBaby
BRONZE: Dog Logic: A Thystopian Satire, Book 1, Tom Strelich, Black Rose Writing
FINALIST: Water Memory: A Thystopian Satire, Book 2, Tom Strelich, Black Rose Writing
GOLD: Simpleman, Michael Scott Curnes, Down Wind Press
SILVER: Walking on Nathan’s Grave , R. Luce, Independently Published
BRONZE: Out of the Blue, Marisa Billions, Mirador Publishing
FINALIST: Oath, Kate Butler, Cupido Books
GOLD: Savage Malice, Kit Karson, Granite Mountain Press
SILVER: Red Shadow at Saugatuck, Randy Overbeck, Wild Rose Press
BRONZE: Unicorns Can Be Deadly, Charlotte Stuart, Amphorae Publishing Group
FINALIST: Sick as a Dog, Tracy Carter, BookBaby
FINALIST: The Roses of Port Townsend, Ethel Steinmetz Marmont, Palmetto Publishing
GOLD: Gone to Where, Michelle Choi, Lumiere
SILVER: Teneо̄: A Novella, Kojo Gyan, Independently Published
BRONZE: Bad Americans: Part I, Tejas Desai, The New Wei LLC
FINALIST: Upside Down, R. Morello, Independently Published
FINALIST: Prophets of War, Jack Brown, Morgan House Press
Pets & Animals (fiction and non-fiction)
GOLD: Mommy’s Boy, Jennifer Huston Schaeffer, White Dog Books
SILVER: RATS With Backpacks, J.N. Courtney, J.N. Courtney Productions
BRONZE: The Two Dogs Who Stayed, Matthew Caldwell, Northern Paw Press
FINALIST: Sick as a Dog, Tracy Carter, BookBaby
GOLD: I Wash My Hands: The “Autobiography” of Pontius Pilate, P. Drew Warren, Pontius Press
SILVER: Martyrdom’s Passage, David Colin, Independently Published
BRONZE: Boy of Heaven, Morris Hoffman, Resource Publications
FINALIST: Retribution: Chronicles of Reaper Book II, J.R. Lightfoot, Independently Published
GOLD: Always, Andy M Davidson, Elk Lake Publishing
SILVER: Charcuterie Girl, JA Wright, Saint Johns Creek Publishing, LLC
BRONZE: Banana Espresso, Castille Viora-Marquet, Independently Published
BRONZE: The Valentine Lines, TK Sheffield, Making Hay Press
FINALIST: Cadence of the Storm, Delia Duke, Nimbus Dynamix LLC
FINALIST: My Wingman, Tessa King, Independently Published
FINALIST: Cloud Dragon, S.W. Lawrence, Sidekick Press, LLC
GOLD: Descartes’ Shadow, Don Stuart, Colvos Publications
SILVER: Erasing Emily, Francis Malka, Independently Published
SILVER: Göd’s Gate, Alan Kurt, Independently Published
BRONZE: Minus One, Mark Kolody, Independently Published
BRONZE: The Matriarch Messiah, Maxime Trencavel, Tail of the Bird Books
FINALIST: Finding the Gift, Charis Jones, Independently Published
FINALIST: Saving Mozart, Charles R Hinckley, Mad Drummer
FINALIST: Obsession with Change, Cecil W. Lee, Early Bird Publishing
GOLD: After the Spirits Come, Beth Ford, Peony Books
SILVER: His Last Christmas Gift, Debra Borchert, Le Vin Press
BRONZE: The Valentine Lines, TK Sheffield, Making Hay Press
FINALIST: Oak Street Treehouse: The Day They Played Christmas, Dick Daniels, Leadership Development Group
Short Story Collections/Anthologies
GOLD: The Book of Lost Innocence, Glenn Taylor, And Then What Happened
SILVER: Next Year in Paterson, Ron Goldberg, Independently Published
BRONZE: The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories, Ekta R. Garg, Atmosphere Press
FINALIST: 19 Doors, Rob Roy O’Keefe, O’Caoimh O’riginals
FINALIST: The Summer of Haight, George Petersen, Cinematic Press
FINALIST: My Side of the World and Other Tales of Death, Beka Wueste, Fox Island Press
GOLD: Wednesday Night Whites, Marci Lin Melvin, Her Island Press
SILVER: Abbot Lane, Jim Layeux, Ace Of Spades Publishing, Montreal
SILVER: Visage of Moros, Tamel Wino, Independently Published
BRONZE: Switch, Lisa Towles, Indies United Publishing
BRONZE: Shark Bunny, Melani Redmiles-Quinley, RedQuin
BRONZE: Unstoppable, Michael Maloof, Golden Oak Writer’s Guild, LLC
FINALIST: The Rich Guy’s Wife, Bonnie Traymore, Pathways Publishing
FINALIST: Boardroom Assassin, R L Hare, Independently Published
FINALIST: Gone To Ground, Morgan Hatch , Black Rose Writing
FINALIST: Sanctity of Freedom, Peter Thomas Pontsa, Iconic Scribes Press Inc.
FINALIST: The Catalogue, Ty Mitchell, Red Rope Press
FINALIST: The Forbidden Heiress, Gledé Browne Kabongo, Independently Published
GENERAL CATEGORIES – NON-FICTION
GOLD: The Power of Magical Women, Connie Boyd, Vanish Press
SILVER: Saul of Tarsus A Rock Opera, Mark W Dean, Columbus Book Publishers
BRONZE: Behind the Star, Chad R Gregory, Independently Published
BRONZE: 50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood, Mike Kimmel, Ben Rose Creative Arts
GOLD: Soul Can You, Lisa Gilbert, MD, Archangel Ink
SILVER: Kinship Medicine, Wendy Johnson, North Atlantic Books
BRONZE: Spiritual Intelligence, Dawson Church, Energy Psychology Press
FINALIST: Mātrikā’s Muse: A Journey to Awakening Through the Senses, Lara Sanderson, Seva Press
FINALIST: Must: Becoming the Person You Are Meant to Be, Stephen Rue, Houndstooth Press
FINALIST: So Much to Drool About: Lessons for Living Large, Barbara Stone, Wildebeest Publishing Co
GOLD: PopEnomics, Jesse Hurst, Spur Circle Publishing
SILVER: Your Business Growth Playbook, Jeremy B. Shapiro, Asandia Press
BRONZE Tech Confidential: The Insider Playbook for Daring Entrepreneurs, Denise Koessler Gosnell, Kathryn Erickson, Ideapress Publishing
FINALIST: You Are a Strategist: Use No-BS OKRs To Get Big Things Done, Sara Lobkovich, Red Currant Collective LLC
FINALIST: Sell Without Selling Out, Kal Jurdi, Authority Publishing
Crafts & Hobbies/Cooking/How-To
GOLD: T08I Puzzle Book, Christopher Tobin, Green Hill Publishing
SILVER: Armchair Iceland: A Puzzle Game-Inspired Travel Adventure Book for Grown-Ups, Vegout Voyage, Katharina Huang
BRONZE: Wedding Planning: Five Easy Steps & the Secret to Pull it Together, Kathy Forbes, Tellwell
GOLD: The Doctor’s Future, Dr. Pietro Emanuele Garbelli, Balboa Press
SILVER: The Human Beneath the Hero, Jenna Hardcastle, Independently Published
BRONZE: Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves, Wendy Johnson MD MPH, North Atlantic Books
FINALIST: America’s Lifeline for Better Health, Bala Kumar, Independently Published
FINALIST: Run, Mommy, Run: Fighting Breast Cancer with a Victor’s Attitude, Gwyn Elizabeth Miller, Runspire,LLC
FINALIST: Fabulous Health: A Simple Plan to Get Well and Stay Well, Terri Chrisman, Fabulous Health
GOLD: The Great Christmas Boycott of 1906, Scott D. Seligman, Potomac Books
SILVER: Kalman & Leopold: Surviving Mengele’s Auschwitz, Richard K. Lowy, Tellwell Publishing
BRONZE: 100 Objects from the Collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Stefanie Halpern, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
FINALIST: Founding Courage, Kirk Ward Robinson, HighlandHome
FINALIST: Expositions & World’s Fairs: In the Beginning, Bob McGlincy, Monponsett Press
GOLD: Blackinese: Reflections on Race and Ethnicity from a Biracial Millennial, Patricia Bradby Moore, 804 Press
SILVER: Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins, Amy Shea, Rutgers University Press
BRONZE: How the Hell Did I Not Know That? My Midlife Year from Couch to Curiosity, Lucie Frost, Trinity University Press
FINALIST: TOTEMS 6 Pillars Every Young Man Must Carry, Jerome Brown, Independently Published
FINALIST: Such a Pretty Picture, Andrea Leeb, She Writes Press
GOLD: The Ding Dong Altar Boy, Donald Osborn and Anna Henkens Schmidt, Independently Published
SILVER: Sometimes Orange is Almost Gold, Jim Antonini and Suzanne Reynolds, Pump Fake Press
Memoir/Biography/Autobiography
GOLD: Out of Gaza: A Tale of Love, Exile, and Friendship, Katharina Galor, Potomac Books/ University of Nebraska Press
SILVER: The Factory Of Maladies: Seven Days On A San Francisco Psych Ward, Debbie Hartung, Independently Published
SILVER: Lost My Mind Here Someplace, Arune Savage, Black Spring Press Group
BRONZE: From Roses to Terror, Di McDonald, The Grammar Factory
BRONZE: A Legacy of Strength, Sandi Young, Outskirts Press
BRONZE: Every Mile Matters, Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, Causation, LLC
FINALIST: Family Treasures Lost and Found, Karen A. Frenkel, Post Hill Press
FINALIST: Run, Mommy, Run: Fighting Breast Cancer with a Victor’s Attitude, Gwyn Elizabeth Miller, Runspire,LLC
FINALIST: The Road to Belonging: My Journey to Punta Gorda, Belize, Francis Mandewah, Telemachus Press LLC
FINALIST: No Woman Left Behind: A Journey of Hope to Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth, Kate Grant, She Writes Press
FINALIST: And Now, Back to Me, Rita Lussier, She Writes Press
Parenting/Family/Relationships
GOLD: Raising Future Adults, David Krasky, American Publisher’s Inc.
SILVER: First-Time Parent, Expecting Better, Dr. Myrna Saadeh White, Authority Publishing
BRONZE: Guide to Lasting Love: A Therapist’s 21-Day Program to a Fulfilling Relationship, Reta Faye Walker, Brown Books Publishing Group
FINALIST: Wisest Learners: Guiding Your Child’s Athletic Journey, Alex Compton/Kevin Dalafu, Independently Published
FINALIST: And Now, Back to Me, Rita Lussier, She Writes Press
Religion/Spirituality/Inspiration
GOLD: Hope When It’s Heavy, Amy Eaton, Independently Published
SILVER: Across Borders, Beyond Beliefs, Mary Thomas, Independently Published
BRONZE: Blessings Abound: Awaken to the Gifts at Hand, Katherine Scherer and Eileen Bodoh, K & E Innovations LLP
FINALIST: Whole, Not Perfect: Empowering Stories as Tools for Anyone Ready to Reinvent and Reclaim Themselves, Laura G. Patac, Authority Publishing
FINALIST: Questions God Asks, Bryan Dunham, Independence Press
FINALIST: Run, Mommy, Run: Fighting Breast Cancer with a Victor’s Attitude, Gwyn Elizabeth Miller, Runspire,LLC
GOLD: Biosphere Collapse: Causes and Solutions, Garry Rogers, Coldwater Press
SILVER: The Coming Disruption: How AI First Will Force Organizations to Change Everything or Face Destruction, Fred Voccola, Atlas Elite Publishing Partners
BRONZE: Spiritual Intelligence, Dawson Church, Energy Psychology Press
GOLD: JOYBeing: Connecting With Your Essence and the Rhythm of Life to Thrive and Inspire, Ann Van Eron & Gila Ancel Seritcioglu, Open View Press
SILVER: Deeply Human: The Science and Soul of Emotional Healing, Dr James P. Manning, Ridgeman Mental Health Books
SILVER: Common Sixth Sense: Unleash Your Most Authentic Connected Life, Rachael Schmidt, Expansion House
BRONZE: The Golden Nuggets for Success and Happiness, Sree Prathap, Notion Press
BRONZE: So Much to Drool About: Lessons for Living Large, Barbara Stone, Wildebeest Publishing Co
FINALIST: The Human Beneath The Hero, Jenna Hardcastle, Independently Published
FINALIST: Every Mile Matters: Turning Triathlon Training into Cancer Triumph, Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Causation, LLC
FINALIST: Whole, Not Perfect: Empowering Stories as Tools for Anyone Ready to Reinvent and Reclaim Themselves, Laura G. Patac, Authority Publishing
GOLD: Out of Gaza: A Tale of Love, Exile, and Friendship, Katharina Galor, Potomac Books/ University of Nebraska Press
SILVER: Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins, Amy Shea, Rutgers University Press
BRONZE: Brave: Story of a Trans Woman, K.K., Independently Published
FINALIST: Your Guide to Climate Action, Ryan Hagen, Climate Action Press
FINALIST: What the Fire Left Behind, Malcolm K Rowe, Independently Published
GOLD: First Pub on the Right: A Wife-Changing Motorcycle Adventure from Cork to Cape Town, David Irish Anderson, Pure Ink Press
SILVER: True Nature: Hidden in the High Sierra, Lisa Michelle, Barking Raven Press
BRONZE: Adventures in Penn’s Woods, Joseph F. Brosky, Independently Published
FINALIST: The Master Chief’s Sea Stories: (COSL), Johnny J Moye, Buffalo Junction Press
FINALIST: Armchair Iceland: A Puzzle Game-Inspired Travel Adventure Book for Grown-Ups, Vegout Voyage, Katharina Huang
GOLD: Email Marketing for Authors: Grow an Email List that Actually Sells Books, Dale L. Roberts, One Jacked Monkey LLC
SILVER: Escape the Writer’s Web, Colleen M. Story, Midchannel Press
BRONZE: The Profitable Author: 1,001 Ways to Build a Business You Love Around Your Books, Sharon Woodhouse, Everything Goes Media, LLC
POETRY
GOLD: Tomorrow’s Rain, Andrew Daniels, Independently Published
SILVER: Fainting Girl, Georgia Francis, Quiet Island
SILVER: Fragments: A Collection of Poems, Zana Asanaj, Independently Published
BRONZE: Martyrdom’s Passage, David Colin, Independently Published
BRONZE: The Activist Poet – Volume IV, Stewart F. Brennan, Independently Published
FINALIST: Vietnam As They Knew It, Jerry L. Staub, Independently Published
FINALIST: The Quiet Calendar, Oquirrh Keyes, Epiphany Blaire Press
FINALIST: Variations on Tzara: The Son-of-a-Narcissist-Mother’s Guide Book, Jan Škrdlík, Musical Forge
FINALIST: Pathic Bearing, David Colin, Independently Published