The Boston Authors Club has been awarding the Julia Ward Howe Prizes, (named after the Club's first President) to outstanding adult and young reader books for over twenty years. These awards recognize exceptional books by Boston area authors in four separate categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and the Young Reader category.
Publishers with 2024 titles meeting the BAC Awards criteria are encouraged to submit their books to be considered for Julia Ward Howe prizes. To enter the competition, publishers must submit two copies of each eligible title, a valid email for award notification, and a fee of $35 dollars per title. Checks should be made out to the Boston Authors Club or funds may be submitted electronically at the bottom of this page.
The submission deadline for qualified books published in 2024 is January 31, 2025.
Please send your books and checks to: Boston Authors Club, Attn. Julie Dobrow, 103 Conant Road, Lincoln, MA, 01773.
Criteria for the Julia Ward Howe award include:
The books must be published the year prior to the award being given.
Authors must live or work within 100 miles of Boston the year their books are published.
Books published in print are eligible unless otherwise noted in the criteria. Edited books, textbooks, and reference books are not qualified. Self-published and digital-only books are not eligible.
Authors of the winning titles in each category will be honored at the annual Julia Ward Howe Awards event in the Fall of 2025. Additional outstanding books and authors in each category may be designated as Finalists and celebrated at the Awards program.
