Whitney Award

The Whitney Award is an award for novels by LDS authors. The awards were founded by Robison Wells in 2007. The current president of the Whitney Awards Committee is Josi Kilpack.

Categories

There are currently nine Whitney Award categories: Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Youth Fiction—General, Youth Fiction—Speculative, Speculative Fiction, Historical, General Fiction, Novel by a New Author, and Novel of the Year.

Rules and Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a Whitney Award for a given year, a novel must be published during that year and written by an LDS author or authors. The novel may be published by an LDS publisher or a national publisher.

If an eligible novel is nominated by five people before December 31, it is placed on the preliminary awards ballot. From that ballot, the Whitney Awards Committee selects five finalists in each genre category for the final ballot. The Whitney Awards Academy votes on the final ballot to select a winner in each category.

For a full list of rules, see Whitney Awards - Rules

Winners

See also Complete list of Whitney Award winners and finalists

2007

Best Novel of the Year

• On the Road to Heaven by Coke Newell

Best Novel by a New Author

• Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Best Romance/Women’s Fiction

• Counting Stars by Michele Paige Holmes

Best Mystery/Suspense

• Sheep's Clothing by Josi Kilpack

Best Youth Fiction

• Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

Best Speculative Fiction

• Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Best Historical Fiction

• Land of Inheritance by H. B. Moore

Outstanding Achievement Award

• Anita Stansfield
• Jennie Hansen

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Dean Hughes

2008

Best Novel of the Year

• Traitor by Sandra Grey

Best Novel by a New Author

• Bound on Earth by Angela Hallstrom

Best Romance

• Spare Change by Aubrey Mace

Best Mystery/Suspense

• Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black

Best Youth Fiction

• The 13th Reality by James Dashner

Best Speculative Fiction

• The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Best Historical

• Abinadi by H. B. Moore

Best General Fiction

• Waiting for the Light to Change by Annette Haws

Outstanding Achievement Award

• Kerry Blair

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Orson Scott Card

2009

Best Novel of the Year

• In the Company of Angels by David Farland

Best Novel by a New Author (tie)

• Gravity vs. the Girl by Riley Noehren
• I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

Best Romance

• Counting the Cost by Liz Adair

Best Mystery/Suspense

• Methods of Madness by Stephanie Black

Best Youth Fiction

• The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Best Speculative Fiction

• Servant of a Dark God by John Brown

Best Historical

• The Last Waltz by G.G. Vandagriff

Best General Fiction

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Outstanding Achievement Award

• Dave Wolverton

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Gerald Lund

2010

Best Novel of the Year (tie)

• The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
• Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

Best Novel by a New Author

• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Best Romance

• Cross My Heart by Julie Wright

Best Mystery/Suspense

• Cold As Ice by Stephanie Black

Best Youth Fiction—General

• The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Best Youth Fiction—Speculative

• Matched by Ally Condie

Best Speculative Fiction

• The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Best Historical

• Trespass by Sandra Grey

Best General Fiction

• Band of Sisters by Annette Lyon

Outstanding Achievement Award

• Rick Walton

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Susan Evans McCloud

2011

Best Novel of the Year

• I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells

Best Novel by a New Author

• With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

Best General Fiction

• Before I Say Goodbye by Rachel Ann Nunes

Best Historical

• Letters in the Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears

Best Romance

• Borrowed Light by Carla Kelly

Best Mystery/Suspense

• Rearview Mirror by Stephanie Black

Best Youth Fiction—General

• With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

Best Youth Fiction—Speculative

• Variant by Robison Wells

Best Speculative Fiction

• The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Outstanding Achievement Award

• Jack Weyland

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Douglas Thayer

External Links

• whitneyawards.com