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Golden Poppy 2026 Submissions

Eligible Titles Must:

  • Have a publication date between November 16, 2025-November 15, 2026.
  • Be available for resale through traditional wholesale channels, fully returnable, and at standard industry discounts.
  • The author/illustrator must live in California during the writing/illustrating process but does not need to be a resident at the time of publication/consideration.
  • In the non-fiction categories, work primarily focused on the State of California written by non-residents will be considered. The non-fiction committee will have final approval of these submissions.
  • Books by authors who have won in the same category within the last two years would not be eligible for a Golden Poppy in the current year.
  • We support human created work. Applicants will be asked to attest that their submission was not created by AI. To learn more, visit CALIBA's AI Policy webpage.

For a full list of details, dates and deadlines, visit the Golden Poppy 2026 webpage.

Cost for Submissions:

General cost for submission: $60

Cost for California-based publisher submission: $30

We have two prizes that celebrate diversity (Martin Cruz Smith Award: Emerging Diverse Voices and Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature). There is no charge for submitting titles to these categories.

Looking to submit a title published by a California-based publisher? Please fill out this form.
Price: $60

Let's Get Some Additional Information

Please complete the requested information below to finish adding Golden Poppy 2026 Submissions to your cart.

Please check the category or categories for your entry. Please limit to 1
We have two prizes that celebrate diversity. There is no charge for submitting for these categories in addition to the categories above. Martin Cruz Smith (emerging diverse voices, adult titles) - Author is a debut or emerging talent from a historically underrepresented voice in publishing and would like to be considered for this award. Mirrors & Windows (excellence in children's literature, all ages) - This work features a diverse voice and perspective that allows children to see themselves and their stories. Please share details below.
Please share with us why this title should be considered for the Martin Cruz Smith Award or Mirrors & Windows category. This will help our committee understand the diverse perspective represented in this work.
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