The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators announced winners and honor books for the 2026 Crystal Kite Awards, which are peer-voted and recognize "outstanding books created by SCBWI members across 15 international regions." This year's Crystal Kite regional division winners are:
Atlantic
Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year Story by Sylvia Chen, illustrated by Thai My Phuong (Flamingo Books)
Honor: Lighthouse Ladies: Shining a Spotlight on Hardy Heroines by Kris Coronado, illustrated by Islenia Mil (Clarion Books)
California/Hawaii
I AM NOT HAPPY! 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 by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Midsouth
You Can Sit With Me by Rachel Tawil Kenyon, illustrated by Tatiana Kasmshilina (Feiwel & Friends)
Honor: Henry's Picture-Perfect Day by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song (Chronicle Books)
Midwest
STUCK! The Story of La Brea Tar Pits by Joyce P. Uglow, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova (Bushel & Peck Books)
Honor: Maybe Just Ask Me! by Katie Mazeika (Beach Lane Books)
New England
Cat Nap by Brian Lies (Greenwillow Books)
Honor: Woody's Words: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows by Lisa Rogers, illustrated by Susan Reagan (Calkins Creek)
New York
The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Honor: Dinos That Drive by Suzy Levinson, illustrated by Dustin Harbin (Tundra Books)
Southeast
The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest by Lynn Street, illustrated by Anne Hunter (Margaret Quinlin Books)
Honor: A Flea For Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by TeMika Grooms (Charlesbridge)
Southwest
The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang by Stan Yan (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Honor: It Started with a P by Brittany Pomales, illustrated by Andrew Joyner (Flamingo Books)
Texas/Oklahoma
Racing the Clouds by Sydney Dunlap (Jolly Fish Press)
Honor: So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey (Clarion Books)
West
I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive by Leslie Barnard Booth, illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey (Chronicle Books)
Honor: The Arguers by Corinna Luyken (Rocky Pond Books)
Australia/NZ/Oceania
Grandmother from the East, Grandmother from the West by Jacinta Liu, illustrated by Freda Chiu (Lothian Children's Books)
Honor: Emmie Builds Something New by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall (Red Comet Press)
Canada & North America
The Dog Who Saved the Bees by Stephanie Gibeault, illustrated by David Hohn (Sleeping Bear Press)
Honor: Will and Krill by Stacey Byer (Beaming Books)
Europe, Central/South/Latin America, and Africa
Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Aimee Sicuro (Candlewick Press)
Honor: How to Reach the Moon by Nicolás Schuff, illustrated by Ana Sender, translated by Lawrence Schimel (Amazon Crossing Kids)
Middle & East Asia
Under Pressure: Freddie Mercury's Countdown to Fame by Shyamala Shanmugasundaram, illustrated by Pankaj Saikia (Niyogi Books)
Honor (two books): Little Sheku and the Animal Orchestra by Sheku Kanneh-Mason, illustrated by Rekha Salin (Puffin Books), and The Beat of the Dragon Boat by Christina Matula, illustrated by Nicole Wong (Sleeping Bear Press)
U.K. and Ireland
Street Puppy, Masjid Cat by Moniza Hossain, illustrated by Wastana Haikal (little bee books)
Honor: Atlas of Mythical Journeys by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Iryna Dobrovetska (Wide Eyed Editions)