We Need Diverse Books Announces 2026 Walter Dean Myers Awards Winners

by SLJ Staff
Feb 10, 2026 | Filed in News & Features

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes and Champion by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld, and Ed Laroche are this year's winners.

We Need Diverse Books announced the 2026 Walter Dean Myers Awards. The Walter Awards are given in two categories: Younger Readers (ages 9-13) and Teen (ages 13-18). And the 2026 winners are:

Younger Readers

Winner: The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

Honor Title: All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

Teen

Winner: Champion by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld, and Ed Laroche

Honor Title: King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin

The 2026 Walter Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, March 23, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.

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