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History of the Golden Sower Award Header

The Nebraska Golden Sower Award program was initiated by Karla Hawkins Wendelin and Dee Storey at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Three children's choice awards are presented annually:
Primary Book category: titles appropriate for grades kindergarten through 3
Intermediate Grades category: titles appropriate for grades 4 through 6
Young Adult category: titles appropriate for grades 6 through 9


First presented in 1981, the award honored Deborah and James Howe for Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery. The single category, Intermediate Grades, drew 4,185 readers/voters.

The Young Adult category was added in the fall of 1992. The first Young Adult award was presented to Joan Lowery Nixon in 1993 for Whispers From the Dead. Vote totals reached 59,688!

Thousands of Nebraska's students participate in the Golden Sower Award program each year as evidenced by the program's annual voting records. The 2009-2010 program set a new voting record with more than 70,000 votes.

The winners are announced in May. A complete listing of award winners along with the nominee is available in .pdf format.

The award is presented annually at the Fall Conference sponsored by Nebraska Library Association (NLA) and Nebraska Educational Media Association (NEMA). The Golden Sower Virtual Museum documents winning authors' and illustrators' response to receiving the Golden Sower Award.