Golden Poppy Awards History
The members of CALIBA present The Golden Poppy Book Awards to recognize the most distinguished books written by writers and artists who make California their home.
Mission
The members of CALIBA present The Golden Poppy Book Awards to recognize the most distinguished books written by writers and artists who make California their home.
The Golden Poppies are given for books published in the following categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Glenn Goldman Award: California Lifestyle, Glenn Goldman Award: Cooking, Mystery, Romance, Poetry, Octavia E Butler Award: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Picture Book, Children's Nonfiction, Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature and the Martin Cruz Smith Award: Emerging Diverse Voices.
Committees for each category are made up of booksellers throughout the state tasked with developing a final ballot of five top titles that California booksellers will vote upon.
History
The Golden Poppy Awards were born from a shared desire to elevate the voices of California authors and to reflect the unique spirit of independent bookselling in the state. The history of the awards is rooted in the efforts of CALIBA’s original organizations: the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) and the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA).
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Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA):
NCIBA had the Northern California Book Awards, then co-hosted the Northern California Book Awards with Poetry Flash because of confusion of having the same name. After a brief two-year collaboration, NCIBA opted to establish its own independent awards program to better highlight the role of independent bookstores. Thus, the Golden Poppy Awards were born, named in honor of California’s state flower.
Early categories included: Regional Title, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Food, Young Adult, Middle Reader, Picture Book, Martin Cruz Smith Award for Suspense/Mystery and the Mirrors & Windows Award. -
Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA):
SCIBA ran its own awards program highlighting authors from Southern California. Categories included: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography,
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Art/Architecture/Photography, the Glenn Goldman Award to commemorate bookseller Glenn Goldman, and the T. Jefferson Parker Award for Mystery.
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March 14, 2018:
NCIBA officially adopted the name Golden Poppy Awards after purchasing original poppy artwork from California author and artist Obi Kaufmann. -
October 5, 2020:
Following the merger of NCIBA and SCIBA, the newly formed California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA) announced the first official Golden Poppy Award winners as a statewide organization. The inaugural categories under CALIBA included:
Fiction
Nonfiction
T. Jefferson Parker Award (Mystery, Suspense and Thriller)
Glenn Goldman Award (Non-Narrative)
Romance
Poetry
Cooking and Food Writing
Children's:
Mirrors and Windows Honoree for Picture Books
Mirrors and Windows Honorees for Young Adult/Middle Grade
Picture Books
Middle Grade
Young Adult
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Recent Developments:
Since its launch, the Golden Poppy Awards have evolved to better reflect the full breadth of California’s literary talent. Key changes include:- Introduction of the Octavia E. Butler Award to recognize outstanding works in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
- A dedicated Mystery category replacing the T. Jefferson Parker Award
- The Glenn Goldman Award split into two distinct honors: California Lifestyle and Cooking
- Addition of a Children’s Nonfiction category
- Unification of the two original Mirrors & Windows categories to become the Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children’s Literature category
- Reimagining the Martin Cruz Smith Award as a recognition of emerging authors.
Category Spotlights
Glenn Goldman Award
The Glenn Goldman Award honors the life and legacy of Glenn Goldman, the founder of Book Soup, a landmark independent bookstore in West Hollywood. Glenn was deeply passionate about books and known for his vibrant presence at industry events—whether at regional trade shows, BookExpo, or Winter Institute, he was there to connect, celebrate books, and support fellow booksellers.
After his passing in 2009 from pancreatic cancer, the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) created a scholarship fund in his name to help booksellers attend industry events. To further honor his legacy, SCIBA established the Glenn Goldman Award, originally recognizing excellence in art, architecture, and lifestyle books—genres that reflected Glenn’s keen eye for design and culture.
With the creation of CALIBA and the statewide Golden Poppy Awards, the Glenn Goldman Award evolved into two focused categories:
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California Lifestyle — highlighting books that capture the essence of California’s architecture, art, and way of life.
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Cooking — honoring exceptional California cookbooks that nourish, inspire, and bring people together.
These awards continue to celebrate Glenn Goldman’s enthusiasm for beautiful books and his enduring impact on California’s literary and bookselling communities
Photo courtesy of Glenn Goldman and plaque courtesy of Book Soup.
Martin Cruz Smith Award: Emerging Diverse Voices
Named after acclaimed novelist Martin Cruz Smith—best known for his bestselling Arkady Renko thrillers like Gorky Park—this award celebrates emerging diverse voices in literature.
Originally, the Martin Cruz Smith Award recognized excellence in mystery and suspense. As CALIBA evolved, the award was reimagined to reflect the organization’s commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices across all genres. In this new form, the award honors early-career writers whose work embodies originality, insight, and powerful storytelling from diverse perspectives.
When CALIBA launched the newly focused Martin Cruz Smith Award: Emerging Diverse Voices, Martin Cruz Smith generously offered to cover the cost of submissions to ensure the award would be accessible to all eligible authors and publishers, regardless of budget. His support helped solidify the award’s role as both a literary honor and a platform for inclusion.
Martin Cruz Smith passed away on Friday, July 11th, 2025. His legacy lives on not only through his groundbreaking fiction, but also through his generosity and belief in the importance of uplifting new voices. CALIBA is honored to carry forward his name through this award.
Pictured: NCIBA's Spring Workshop/ABA Forum on March 24th, 2019, Martin Cruz Smith received his lifetime achievement award. From l.: Luisa Smith of Book Passage; Martin Cruz Smith; NCIBA executive director Calvin Crosby; Nell Smith; Em Smith.
Mirrors & Windows Award: Excellence in Children’s Literature
The Mirrors & Windows Award draws its name from a metaphor coined by educator and diversity advocate Rudine Sims Bishop, who described books as both mirrors—reflecting readers’ own lives—and windows—offering insight into the experiences of others.
The Mirrors & Windows Committee was first established in the fall of 2015 as an independent initiative by Northern California booksellers. It was formed not only to celebrate diverse and inclusive children’s literature, but also to send a clear message to publishers: diverse books are vital, and booksellers want to sell them. The committee actively championed titles that reflected a wide range of identities and experiences—across race, culture, gender, ability, and beyond—while encouraging publishers to acquire and promote more of these voices.
In 2019, the committee’s mission expanded into the creation of the Mirrors & Windows Award, honoring excellence in children’s literature that reflects the rich diversity of the world in which young readers live. Initially, multiple awards were given across Picture Book, Middle Grade, and Young Adult categories.
As the Golden Poppy Awards continued to grow, these were unified into a single recognition: Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children’s Literature. This award remains a powerful expression of CALIBA’s ongoing commitment to inclusive storytelling and its impact on the next generation of readers.
Pictured: Original Mirrors & Windows artwork.
Octavia E. Butler Award
The Octavia E. Butler Award recognizes the best in speculative fiction—Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror—and is named in honor of legendary author Octavia E. Butler. Born and raised in Pasadena, Butler was the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur "Genius" Grant, and her groundbreaking work redefined the genre with bold imagination, social commentary, and powerful explorations of race, gender, and humanity.
The Golden Poppy Awards introduced a speculative fiction category in 2021. The following year, in 2022, the category was renamed the Octavia E. Butler Award to pay tribute to Butler’s extraordinary influence on literature and her status as one of California’s most revered authors.
This award continues to celebrate works that challenge boundaries, expand world-building, and reflect the visionary spirit of its namesake.