Winners and Finalists
Women Writing the West® (WWW) is proud to announce the Winners and Finalists of the 2026 WILLA Literary Award, honoring exceptional literature featuring women’s and girls’ stories set in the North American West. Eligible works are set west of the Mississippi River, including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada west of Ontario, and Mexico.
The WILLA Literary Award, a nationally recognized program, is underwritten and presented annually by Women Writing the West®, a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting and celebrating the women’s West.
This year’s award recipients were selected by a distinguished panel of professional librarians and educators. The honorees will be formally recognized at the Women Writing the West® Annual Conference, October 15-17, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Awards are presented in ten categories with Winners and Finalists named in each. The full list of honorees follows this announcement.
Children’s Picture Books
Winner: The Mollys B. by Joann Howeth. Editor: Kayleigh Rucinski. Illustrator: Rupert Van Wyk. Publisher: Blue Balloon Books
Contemporary Fiction
Winner: The Llano County Mermaid Club by Kathleen M. Rodgers. Editor: Elise McHugh. Publisher: The University of New Mexico Press
Finalist: Penitence: A Novel by Kristin Koval. Editor: Deb Futter. Publisher: Celadon Books/Macmillan
Creative Nonfiction
Winner: The River’s Daughter: A Memoir by Bridget Crocker. Editor: Cindy Spiegel. Publisher: Spiegel and Grau
Finalist: Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West by Kelly Ramsey. Editor: Colin Harrison. Publisher: Scribner
Finalist: The Last Cows: On Ranching, Wonder, and a Woman’s Heart by Kathryn Wilder. Editor: Clark Whitehorn. Publisher: Bison Books
Historical Fiction
Winner: Lost and Broken Things by Linda Sandifer. Editor: Linda Sandifer. Publisher: Strathaven Books
Finalist: Tough Luck: A Novel by Sandra Dallas. Editor: Elisabeth Dyssegaard. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Publishing
Middle Grade Fiction and Nonfiction
Winner: When the Sky Turned to Dust by Catherine Matthias. Editor: Catherine Matthias. Publisher: Moon Glow Books, LLC
Finalist: Fire, Friendship & Fear by Nancy Oswald. Editor: Nancy Oswald. Publisher: Burro Books
Mystery / Thriller
Winner: Bone Hash by Skye Griffith. Editor: Geoff Habiger. Publisher: Artemesia Publishing LLC
Finalist: Elita: A Novel by Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum. Editor: Marisa Emily Siegel. Publisher: Tri-Quarterly/Northwestern University Press
Poetry
Winner: The Seeds by Cecily Parks. Editor: Carey Calerno. Publisher: Alice James Books
Finalist: Missing Orion by Barbara Bloom. Editor: Christine Cote. Publisher: Shanti Arts LLC
Finalist: Forgive This Trespass by Karen Kay Knauss. Editor Karen Kay Knauss. Publisher: Peach Tree Press
Romance
Winner: Lasting Promise by Susanna Lane. Editor: Rachel Santino. Publisher: Roan & Weatherford Publishing Associates
Finalist: Elinore: Wild Rose Ridge Historical by Dalyn Weller. Editor: Douglas Weller. Publisher: Morning Mocha Press
Scholarly Nonfiction
Winner: Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish by Barbara Boustead. Editor: Dedra McDonald Birzer. Publisher: South Dakota Historical Society Press
Finalist: The Sharpshooter and the Showman: May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and Their Wild West Show by Chris Enss. Editor: Will Harmon. Publisher: FarCountry Press
Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction
Winner: Along the Trail by Kaci Curtis. Editor: E.L. Felder. Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Finalist: Saving Her Prairie by Heidi M. Thomas. Editor: Heidi M. Thomas. Publisher: SunCatcher Publications
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