Penguin Random House launches high schoolers’ award to combat book bans

Publisher Penguin Random House has launched a new writing award in the US celebrating freedom of expression in response to a rise in book bans across the country.

The Freedom of Expression award invites applicants to write about one banned book that changed their life and why. The $10,000 (£8,168) prize will be awarded to a high-school student planning to attend university in 2024.

“In the midst of censorship efforts, it’s crucial that we protect and celebrate freedom of expression, especially for young people whose voices we need and want to lift up now more than ever,” said Claire von Schilling, director of corporate communications and social responsibility at Penguin Random House.

Book bans in US public schools increased by 33% over the last school year according to a September report by Pen America. It found that the authors whose books were targeted were most frequently women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Some of the books banned in more than 20 districts include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe and The Perks of Being Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. This report followed an American Library Association study which found that attempts to censor materials in school, academic and public libraries reached a record high in the first eight months of 2023.

“This year it is of particular importance that we honour diverse young voices. As book bans proliferate across the country, we celebrate the power and importance of the written word,” said Caroline Richmond, executive director of We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit that is partnering with Penguin Random House on the award. “Students today deserve to be heard. With this award we celebrate and amplify their perspectives.”

On the competition webpage, the publisher stated that books “by and/or about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities” are being “disproportionately targeted” by new laws and regulations limiting the kinds of books young people have access to. “Books change lives” and “everyone deserves to see themselves in a book”, it added.

The award is run alongside four other prizes – for memoir, poetry, fiction/drama and spoken word – in the publisher’s Creative Writing awards, each with a $10,000 (£8,168) prize. The winners will also receive ongoing mentorship opportunities. The competition opened on 16 October and will close on 16 January, or when 1,000 applications have been submitted.