Welcome,

The Montana Book Award is an annual award that recognizes literary and/or artistic excellence in a book published during the award year. Eligible titles will be set in Montana, deal with Montana themes or issues, or be written, edited, or illustrated by a Montana author or artist. Books for all ages will be considered for the award.

Full-Court Quest wins 2008 Montana Book Award!
The 2008 Montana Book Award winner is Full-Court Quest by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith. Presentations and a reception with the winning authors took place Thursday, April 23, during the Montana Library Association Conference in Kalispell.

Full-Court Quest tells the story of the girls from Fort Shaw Indian School basketball team who became the world champions at the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair. The book gives a rare glimpse into American Indian life and into the world of women’s basketball before “girl’s rules” temporarily shackled the sport. In-depth research and extensive collaboration with the teammates’ descendants, make this an important Montana story as well as an entertaining narrative.

Four honor books were also chosen by the 2008 Montana Book Award Committee:

Freeman Walker, by David Allan Cates.

Montana: Stories of the Land , text by Kyrs Holmes

Requiem For Locusts, by Wendy Parciak

Saving Homewaters , by Gordon Sullivan

Read more in our Press Release: 2008 Awards

History of the Award

Winners (with links to winning authors)

Award Process

What Books are Eligible

Nominations and the Book Award Committee

Award Artwork