Winners
Latest Winners
2024
2024 winners will be announced in October!
Past Winners
2023
Art & Photography Montana Modernists: Shifting Perspectives of Western Art Michele Corriel
Children’s Middle Grade Book Thunderous M. L. Smoker & Natalie Peeterse; Illustrations by Dale Ray DeForest
Children’s Picture Book I Do Not Like the Rotten Egg Scent in Yellowstone National Park Penelope Kaye
Creative Nonfiction I Never Met a Rattlesnake I Didn’t Like: A Memoir David Carpenter
Fiction Jameela Green Ruins Everything Zarqa Nawaz
First Book Crazy Mountain Elise Atchison
Indigenous Writer Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation Andrew Stobo Sniderman & Douglas Sanderson
Nonfiction This America of Ours: Bernard and Avid DeVoto and the Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild Nate Schweber
Poetry The Big Melt Emily Riddle
Short Stories The Term Between Brady Harrison
Woman Writer White Horse Erika T. Wurth
Young Adult Behind the Label: Gloria & Willa Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Big Sky Award Montana Modernists: Shifting Perspectives of Western Art Michele Corriel
2022
Art & Photography Bison: Portrait of an Icon Audrey Hall and Chase Reynolds Ewald
Children's Book Dear Peter, Dear Ulla Barbara Nickel
Creative Nonfiction The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood Julian Rubinstein
Fiction And It Will Be a Beautiful Life Craig Lancaster
First Book Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice Katherine Wiltenburg Todrys
Indigenous Writer 20.12m: A Short Story Collection of a Live Lived as a Road Allowance Metis Arnolda Dufour Bowes
Medicine and Science Wild Rescues: A Paramedic’s Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton Kevin Grange
Nonfiction A History of Montana in 101 Objects Kirby Lambert, Tom Ferris, and the Montana Historical Society
Poetry The Track the Whales Make Marjorie Saiser
Short Stories Site Fidelity Claire Boyles
Woman Writer The Stone Sister Caroline Patterson
Young Adult Alone Megan E. Freeman
Big Sky Award A History of Montana in 101 Objects Kirby Lambert, Tom Ferris, and the Montana Historical Society
2021
Art & Photography The Indian’s Pony: From Bones to Bronze Gerald Anthony Shippen
Big Sky Award Shakespeare in Montana: Big Sky Country's Love Affair with the World's Most Famous Author Gretchen E. Minton
Children's Book On A Good Horse Darby Karchut
Creative Nonfiction Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory David A. Robertson
Fiction Ruthie Fear Maxim Loskutoff
First Book The Response of Weeds Bertrand Bickersteth
Indigenous Writer Winter Counts David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Medicine and Science Roadside Geology of Montana: Second Edition Donald W. Hyndman, Robert C. Thomas
Nonfiction The Grizzly in the Driveway Rob Chaney
Poetry Ghosts Still Linger Kat Cameron
Short Stories If Sylvie Had Nine Lives Leona Theis
Woman Writer The Historians Cecilia Ekbäck
Young Adult Opulence, Kansas Julie Stielstra
2020
Art & Photography Victo Cicansky: The Gardener's Universe / L'univers d'un jardinier Timothy Long & Julia Kreuger (eds)
Big Sky Award Voices of Yellowstone's Capstone Traute Parrie & Jesse Logan (eds)
Children's Book Howl: A New Look at the Big Bad Wolf Ted Rechlin
Creative Nonfiction Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country Pam Houston
Fiction Fall Back Down When I Die Joe Wilkins
First Book Reckless Steps Toward Sanity Judith Sara Gelt
Indigenous Writer From the Ashes: My Story of Being Metis, Homeless, and Finding My Way Jesse Thistle
Medicine and Science Six Hundred Generations: An Archaeological History of Montana Carl Davis
Nonfiction Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power Pekka Hamalainen
Poetry Wildernss//Kingdom Jory Mickelsen
Short Stories Winning Chance Katherine Koller
Woman Writer River People Margaret Lukas
Young Adult Cold White Sun Sue Farrell Holler
2019
Art & Photography Albert Bierstadt: Witness to a Changing West Dr. Peter H. Hassrick et. al.
Big Sky Award The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life David Quammen
Children's Book Double! Not Half Rodney Gottula
Creative Nonfiction Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption Susan Devan Harness
Fiction The Flicker of Old Dreams Susan Henderson
First Book One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large Chris La Tray
Indigenous Writer Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption Susan Devan Harness
Medicine and Science The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life David Quammen
Nonfiction An African in Imperial London: The Indomitable Life of A. B. C. Merriman-Labor Danell Jones
Poetry View From True North Sara Henning
Short Stories Come West and See Maxim Loskutoff
Short Stories Cloudbursts: Collected and New Stories Thomas McGuane
Woman Writer The Flicker of Old Dreams Susan Henderson
Young Adult Sadia Colleen Nelson
2018
Art & Photography Theodore Waddell: My Montana Rick Newby
Children's Book What I Saw in Glacier Ellen Horowitz
Creative Nonfiction A Darkness Lit by Heroes: The Granite Mountain- Speculator Mine Disaster of 1917 Doug Ammons
Fiction Days Without End Sebastian Barry
First Book Bad Kansas Becky L Mandelbaum
Indigenous Writer Strangers, Book 1, The Reckoner trilogy David A Robertson
Medicine and Science The Patch: The People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands Chris Turner
Nonfiction Wonderlandscape: Yellowstone National Park and the Evolution of an American Cultural Icon John Clayton
Poetry Throwing the Diamond Hitch Emily Ursuliak
Short Stories Maple & Lead Aaron Parrett
Woman Writer The Last Chance Ladies' Book Club Marlis Wesseler
Young Adult Stranded: A Story of Frontier Survival Matthew P. Mayo
2017
Art & Photography Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonne II Peter Hassrick
Children's Book Runs With Courage Joan Wolf
Creative Nonfiction Temperance Creek Pamela Royes
Fiction The Bones of Paradise Jonis Agee
First Book Hurt People Cote Smith
Indigenous Writer Burning in This Midnight Dream Louise Halfe
Medicine and Science Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science, and Survival Sneed B. Collard III
Nonfiction The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero Timothy Egan
Poetry Poems Across the Big Sky II Lowell Jaeger
Short Stories For a Little While Rick Bass
Young Adult The Pain Eater Beth Goobie
2016
Art & Photography Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek Thomas D. Mangelsen/ Todd Wilkinson
Children's Book Cub's Journey Home Georgia Graham
Creative Nonfiction Canoeing the Great Plains Patrick Dobson
Fiction Madder Carmine Tyler Enfield
First Book The Actor Beth Hunter McHugh
Medicine and Science Glacier National Park After Dark John Ashley
Nonfiction Colorado: A Historical Atlas Thomas J. Noel
Poetry Red Canyon Falling on Churches Juliana Aragon Fatula
Short Stories Far Enough: A Western in Fragments Joe Wilkins
Woman Writer Wolf Winter Cecilia Ekback
Young Adult Am I the Only One? Struggling Being a Teen Treena Wynes
2015
Art & Photography Charles M. Russell: Photographing the Legend Larry Len Peterson
Children's Book Back to Batoche Cheryl Chad
Culinary A Taste of Montana: Favorite Recipes from Big Sky Country Seabring Davis
Fiction Stars Go Blue Laura Pritchett
First Book Badluck Way Bryce Andrews
Nonfiction Badluck Way Bryce Andrews
Poetry Balefire Shann Ray
Short Stories The Widow Smalls and Other Stories Jamie Lisa Forbes
Woman Writer The Home Place Carrie La Seur
Young Adult Camp Outlook Brenda Baker
2014
Art & Photography Karl Bodmer's America Revisited W. R. Wood & R. M. Lindholm
Children's Book Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding Marion Mutala
Fiction Let Him Go Larry Watson
First Book Montana Gwen Florio
Medicine and Science In the Shadow of the Sabertooth: A Renegade Naturalist Considers Global Warming, the First Americans and the Terrible Beasts of the Pleistocene Doug Peacock
Nonfiction Rough Breaks: A Wyoming High Country Memoir Laurie Wagner Buyer
Poetry Grey Dog Big Sky Sheryl Noethe
Short Stories Cowboys and East Indians Nina McConigley
Woman Writer Clearwater Kim McCullough
Young Adult Black Helicopters Blythe Woolston
2013
Art & Photography Montana: Real Place, Real People Alan Kesselheim & Thomas Lee
Culinary Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet Dee Hobsbawn-Smith
Fiction The Round House Louise Erdrich
First Book The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupre Sarah Kathryn York
Nonfiction Deliverance From the Little Big Horn Joan Nabseth Stevenson
Poetry Notes from the Journey Westward Joe Wilkins
Short Stories What You Get at Home Dora Dueck
Woman Writer The Miseducation of Cameron Post Emily Danforth
Young Adult The Miseducation of Cameron Post Emily Danforth
2012
Art & Photography Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation Sara Wiles
Fiction The Ringer Jenny Shank
First Book American Masculine Shann Ray
Poetry Songs of Unreason Jim Harrison
Short Stories American Masculine Shann Ray
Woman Writer Married Into It Patricia Frolander
2011
Art & Photography Visions of the Big Sky Dan Flores
Fiction Ghosts of Wyoming Alison Hagy
First Book Bound Like Grass: A Memoir of the Western High Plains Ruth McLaughlin
Nonfiction Bloodshed at Little Bighorn: Sitting Bull, Custer and the Destinies of Nations Tim Lehman
Poetry Horse Tracks Henry Real Bird
Woman Writer Goodbye Wifes and Daughters Susan Kushner Resnick
2010
Fiction Twisted Tree Kent Myers
First Book 600 Hours of Edward Craig Lancaster
Nonfiction Lanterns on the Prairie: The Blackfeet Photographs of Walter McClintock Steven L. Grafe (ed)
Poetry Holding Everything Down William Notter
Woman Writer No Place Like Home Linda Hasselstrom
2009
Fiction So Brave, Young and Handsome Leif Enger
First Book Horses that Buck: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith Margot Kahn
Nonfiction In Contemporary Rhythm: The Art of Ernest L. Blumenschein Peter H. Hassrick & Elizabeth J. Cunningham
Poetry Made Flesh Craig Arnold
Woman Writer Road Map to Holland Jennifer Graf Groneberg
2008
Fiction A Feast of Longing Sarah Klassen
First Book Migration Patterns: Stories Gary Schanbacher
Nonfiction Charles M. Russell: A Catalogue Raisonne B. Byron Price (ed)
2007
Best Book Indians and Emigrants: Encounters on the Overland Trails Michael L. Tate
First Book Jay Cooke's Gamble: The Northern Pacific Railroad, the Sioux, and the Panic of 1873 M. John Lubetkin