The Billings Public Library Board of Directors established the High Plains Book Awards in 2007 to recognize regional authors and/or literary works that examine and reflect life on the High Plains. The High Plains region includes Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The 2024 awards feature 13 book categories: Art and Photography, Children's Picture Book, Children's Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, First Book, Indigenous Writer, Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Stories, Woman Writer, and Big Sky Award. Nominated books must be published for the first time in 2023. Winners of all book awards will be announced at an awards event held in October 2024 in Billings, Montana, and each winner will receive $500. Each nominated book is read and evaluated by four different community readers. Finalist books in each category will be announced in June. Winners in each category will be determined by a panel of published writers with connections to the High Plains region. For more information about the High Plains Book Awards, visit www.highplainsbookawards.org.