2026 Ezra Jack Keats Award Winners and Honors Announced

Dawn Smith
2 minutes ago
3 min read

A collage of children’s book covers on a dark blue background featuring Paka Paka con la Papa by Alberto Salas, Faith Takes the Train, My Heart Speaks Kriol, Paloma Flies Away, and Call Me Gray. Several covers display Ezra Jack Keats Award or Honor seals.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation (EJK Foundation), in partnership with the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), today announced the winners and honor recipients of the 2026 Ezra Jack Keats Award (EJK Award), recognizing exceptional early career authors and illustrators. Winners receive a cash prize of $5,000 and Honors receive a cash prize of $2,000.

The award ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2026, during the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at USM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Side-by-side image showing a children’s book cover on the left and a portrait on the right. The book, Paka Paka con la Papa, features an illustrated man in a yellow coat examining a potato with a magnifying glass, with award seals on the cover. On the right is a smiling woman with long gray hair, photographed in front of a brick wall.

The 2026 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award

Sara Andrea Fajardo

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa

Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Roaring Brook Press

Book cover "Faith Takes the Train" with a woman and child on a city street. Next to it, a smiling woman with curly hair, cheerful mood.

The 2026 Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award

Mokshini

Faith Takes the Train

Written by Kesi Augustine

Harper/HarperCollinsPublishers

The 2026 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honors

Book covers and portraits are displayed. Titles: My Heart Speaks Kriolu, Faith Takes the Train, Paloma Flies Away, Call Me Guay.

Writer Honors

Stefanie Foster Brown

My Heart Speaks Kriolu

Illustrated by Keisha Morris

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Kesi Augustine

Faith Takes the Train

Illustrated by Mokshini

Harper/HarperCollinsPublishers

Illustrator Honors

Tallulah Fontaine

Call Me Gray

Written by Andrew Larsen & Bells Larsen

Kids Can Press

Maris J. Guarda

Paloma Flies Away

Written by María J. Guarda

Candlewick Press

“This year’s EJK Award winning and honor books provide inclusive stories about children who live in New York City and in the mountains of Peru, children dealing with loss of home and heritage, and children in need of support as they search for their true identity,” said Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the EJK Foundation, “EJK Award books entertain while opening children’s minds and hearts. This year is no exception.”

Karlie Herndon, Curator of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at USM, said, "After 40 years, the EJK Award continues to uplift new creators who capture the essence of a Keatsian world: one where community and family shine, where curiosity is the best teacher, and where kindness and empathy can change the world. I'm so proud to be on the sidelines, cheering this new cohort of EJK winner and honor books into the good company this award has fostered for four decades."

EJK Writer Award winner Sara Andrea Fajardo said, “Ezra Jack Keats has long been my literary hero and inspiration. His vision has paved the way for all children to be seen in the pages of a book, a mission that resonates deeply in me. As I wrote about Alberto Salas my goal was to celebrate and showcase the gifts an Andean childhood offers the world. It moves me beyond words to have this recognized, and to know I will now be linked, through this award, to someone whose work I hold so close to my heart.”

EJK Illustrator Award winner Mokshini said, “Receiving this award is deeply meaningful to me because it reflects everything I care about in my work. My practice is rooted in observing the urban landscape, capturing diverse people and experiences, and finding beauty in everyday moments that are often overlooked. I’m grateful to be part of a community that celebrates diversity, and it reinforces my commitment to creating work that is honest, accessible, and grounded in real life.”

About the Ezra Jack Keats Award

Since 1986, the EJK Award has celebrated early career authors and illustrators who portray the multicultural world, the universal experience of childhood and the importance of family and community. Past winners include renowned bookmakers Oge Mora, Meg Medina, Christian Robinson, Doug Salati, Bryan Collier, and Sophie Blackall.

The Ezra Jack Keats Award Committee is composed of distinguished children’s literature and early childhood education specialists, librarians, authors, and illustrators review the entries and announce the winners and honorees.

About the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation fosters children’s creativity and love of reading through programs including the EJK Award and the EJK Bookmaking Competition for students in grades 3–12. The Foundation also produced the documentary Tell Me Another Story, used nationwide in libraries and universities to promote inclusive children’s literature.

About the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection

The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection is one of North America’s leading children’s literature research centers, housing original manuscripts and illustrations from more than 1,400 authors and illustrators, as well as 200,000+ published books dating from 1530 to the present.

About Ezra Jack Keats and the Impact of The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983) was a pioneering author and illustrator whose book The Snowy Day (1962) broke the color barrier in mainstream children’s publishing and won the Caldecott Medal. The Library of Congress identifies The Snowy Day as a book that has shaped America.