Southern Book Prize (formerly the SEBA Book Award and SIBA Book Award) is an  literary award given by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). It was first awarded in 1999. Nominated books must be southern in nature or by a southern author, have been published the previous year, and have been nominated by a SIBA-member bookstore or one of their customers. Voting categories include fiction,  Nonfiction, poetry, cooking and children's literature. In 2016, the award was renamed the Southern Book Prize and awarded in honor of southern writer Pat Conroy, who passed away in March 2016.

The first awards were given in 1999. From 1999 through 2007 winners were chosen by popular vote through an online voting mechanism. Starting in 2008, winners were chosen from the list of finalists by a jury of SIBA booksellers. Since 2019 candidates have been nominated by Southern indie booksellers before the ballot of finalists in three categories is voted on by bookstore customers. According to SIBA, 1800 ballots were cast to select the winners of the 2023 prize.

Winners

Southern Book Prize

Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize

References

External links
SIBA Book Award, official website
SIBA Book Award at LibraryThing

American children's literary awards
Southern United States literature
American fiction awards
American non-fiction literary awards
American poetry awards
Awards established in 1999
1999 establishments in the United States