High Plains International Book Awards

2025 High Plains International Book Awards Winners

Art & Photography: Westward & Miserable by John Henry Haseltine

Big Sky Award: Black Robes Enter Coyote's World by Sally Thompson

Children’s Picture Book: Butterfly on the Wind by Adam Pottle, illustrated by Ziyue Chen

Children’s Middle Grade Book: Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis

Creative Nonfiction / Memoir: A Woman Among Wolves by Diane K. Boyd

Fiction: The Entire Sky by Joe Wilkins

First Book: A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo

Indigenous Writer: Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray

Nonfiction: The Horse by Timothy C. Winegard

Poetry: The Cloud Path by Melissa Kwasny

Short Stories: Harbor Lights by James Lee Burke

Woman Writer: A Road Map for Finding Wild Horses by Trisia Eddy Woods

Young Adult: Dust by Alison Stone

2025 Finalists

Cover of Where Mangoes Fall

Cover of What Fills Your House Like Smoke

Cover of Westward & Miserable

Cover of Unsinkable Cayenne

Cover of Tristan & Lancelot: A Tale of Two Knights

Cover of These Creatures of a Day

Cover of The Unlikely Hero: The Story of Wolf 8

Cover of The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity

Cover of The Horse Who Carries the Stars

Cover of The Entire Sky

Cover of The Cloud Path

Cover of The Case of the Pilfered Pin

Cover of The Boy Who Promised Me Horses

Cover of Tanning Moosehides

Cover of Practice for Becoming a Ghost

Cover of Not the Killing Kind

Cover of Mother

Cover of Like No Other

Cover of In the Country of the Kaw: A Personal Natural History of the American Plains

Cover of Harbor Lights

Cover of Grizzly Confidential

Cover of Elk Love

Cover of Elk Love

Cover of Edward S. Curtis, Printing the Legends: Looking at Shadows in a West Lit Only by Fire

Cover of Earl's Own Dakota Odyssey - A West River Story

Cover of Cricket's Choice

Cover of Butterfly On the Wind

Cover of Black Robes Enter Coyote's World: Chief Charlo and Father De Smet in the Rocky Mountains

Cover of Black Robes Enter Coyote's World: Chief Charlo and Father De Smet in the Rocky Mountains

Cover of Birding for Boomers

Cover of Birding for Boomers

Cover of Becoming Little Shell

Cover of Becoming Little Shell

Cover of Bead Talk

Cover of Arroyo Circle

Cover of All That's Left

Cover of All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection

Cover of Abby the Antelope

Cover of A Woman Among Wolves

Cover of A Road Map for Finding Wild Horses

Cover of A Place Called Yellowstone

Cover of A Kind of Madness

Cover of Where Mangoes Fall

Cover of What Fills Your House Like Smoke

Cover of Westward & Miserable

Cover of Unsinkable Cayenne

Cover of Tristan & Lancelot: A Tale of Two Knights

Cover of These Creatures of a Day

Cover of The Unlikely Hero: The Story of Wolf 8

Cover of The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity

Cover of The Horse Who Carries the Stars

Cover of The Entire Sky

Cover of The Cloud Path

Cover of The Case of the Pilfered Pin

Cover of The Boy Who Promised Me Horses

Cover of Tanning Moosehides

Cover of Practice for Becoming a Ghost

Cover of Not the Killing Kind

Cover of Mother

Cover of Like No Other

Cover of In the Country of the Kaw: A Personal Natural History of the American Plains

Cover of Harbor Lights

Cover of Grizzly Confidential

Cover of Elk Love

Cover of Elk Love

Cover of Edward S. Curtis, Printing the Legends: Looking at Shadows in a West Lit Only by Fire

Cover of Earl's Own Dakota Odyssey - A West River Story

Cover of Cricket's Choice

Cover of Butterfly On the Wind

Cover of Black Robes Enter Coyote's World: Chief Charlo and Father De Smet in the Rocky Mountains

Cover of Black Robes Enter Coyote's World: Chief Charlo and Father De Smet in the Rocky Mountains

Cover of Birding for Boomers

Cover of Birding for Boomers

Cover of Becoming Little Shell

Cover of Becoming Little Shell

Cover of Bead Talk

Cover of Arroyo Circle

Cover of All That's Left

Cover of All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection

Cover of Abby the Antelope

Cover of A Woman Among Wolves

Cover of A Road Map for Finding Wild Horses

Cover of A Place Called Yellowstone

Cover of A Kind of Madness

2024 Winners

Out of over 200 nominations, the community readers narrowed the field to the top three in each category, and the judges chose the 13 winners!

250+

Nominations
Annually

10

U.S. States & Canadian
Provinces Represented

150+

Readers from our local
and regional community

13

Award
Categories

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Annual Events

Building community.

Every year we spend a day celebrating our finalists and winners and the great region of the High Plains.

The High Plains International Book Award was a true delight and an enriching experience for mind and soul. Thank you. I’m so honored to be a finalist, and a winner.

Nate Schweber2023 High Plains Nonfiction Winner

Sponsors

We couldn't exist without the contributions of our generous sponsors.

Billings Public LibraryBest Children’s Book Award
Billings Public Library FoundationBest Nonfiction Award
Friends of Billings Public LibraryBest Fiction Award
Mary Alice Fortin Foundation for Youth EnrichmentBest Young Adult Book Award
Montana State University BillingsBest First Book Award
Montana State University Billings LibraryBest Indigenous Award
Rocky Mountain CollegeBig Sky Montana Book

Stockman Bank Best Children’s Middle Grade
Ucross FoundationBest Poetry Award
Westpark Village Assisted LivingBest Creative Nonfiction
Writer’s VoiceBest Short Stories Award
Yellowstone Art Museum Board of DirectorsBest Art & Photography Award
Zonta Club of BillingsBest Woman Writer Award