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William Allen White Book Award Celebration Focuses on Books, Children

Emporia, KS (05/12/2025) — Students and educators from across Kansas will celebrate children's literature during the 73rd annual William Allen White Children's Book Awards on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Emporia State University. The events are free and open to the public.

Authors Katherine Applegate and Gordon Korman will be guests of honor for the book awards during a day that culminates in receiving their awards. Applegate wrote "Odder," selected by Kansas schoolchildren in Grades 3 through 5. Korman wrote "The Fort," selected by voters in Grades 6 through 8.

All events in 2025 will be staged in the William Allen White Library on the southwest corner of campus with the awards ceremony in Albert Taylor Hall inside Plumb Hall immediately to the east.

The free events kick off with check-in beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the second floor of White Library. From 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., attendees may meet the authors and have their books autographed. They also can enjoy in arts and craft projects. Copies of both books will be available for purchase.

The awards ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in Albert Taylor Hall. Neither food nor drink is allowed inside the auditorium.

The William Allen White celebration will conclude by noon.

The William Allen White Children's Book Award is the oldest statewide children's book award in the United States. It was established in 1952 by the late Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a children's literature specialist at Emporia State University. To honor the memory of one of Kansas' most distinguished citizens, the award was titled The William Allen White Children's Book Award. William Allen White was an American author, politician, leader of the Progressive movement and the newspaper editor of The Emporia Gazette.

Supported in part by the Trusler Foundation and the Emporia State University Libraries & Archives, The White Awards Program was established to encourage the children of Kansas to read and enjoy good books.

For more information: wawchildrensbookaward.com.