HOUSTON, TX—Arte Público Press will launch its new book award, the Cristelia Pérez Award for Latino Young Adult Literature, in 2025. The goal of this recognition is to stimulate the work begun by the press’ imprint, Piñata Books, which is dedicated to the publication of children’s and young adult literature that authentically portrays themes, characters and customs unique to US Hispanic culture.
According to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, just 379 of the 3,203 children’s books it received that were published in the United States in 2023 were written by Latinos; only 291 were about Latinos. Diversity statistics for 2024 are not yet available.
In addition to the publication of the book and royalties from sales, the winning author of the Cristelia Pérez Award will receive a $5,000 prize. Submissions are accepted year-round. The winner will be announced shortly before the publication of the book.
This new prize is named after Cristelia Pérez, who was Arte Público’s first, pioneering marketing director, taking iconic Latino writers on tours and publicizing their works, thus establishing a firm footing for the press in its early years. She went on to become a member of the executive teams at media companies and nonprofit organizations. To honor her visionary efforts and recognize her lifelong love of reading, a community of donors established this award in her name to encourage the writing of books for Latino young adults who may not have access to books that reflect their lives.
The press’ other awards are the Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature, which was launched in 2020, and the Reyes-Olivas Award for Best First Book of Latino Children’s and Young Adult Literature, launched in 2022.
Arte Público Press is the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors. Its imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, is dedicated to the authentic portrayal of the themes, languages, characters and customs of Hispanic culture in the United States. Books published under the imprint serve as a bridge from home to school to support family literacy and elementary school education. Based at the University of Houston, Arte Público Press, Piñata Books and the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage project provide the most widely recognized and extensive showcase for Hispanic literary arts and creativity. For more information, please visit www.artepublicopress.com.
