Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Charles Carroll

The Oregon Book Awards, established in 1987 by Brian Booth and the Oregon Institute for Literary Arts (OILA), are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. These awards celebrate the finest literary accomplishments by writers residing in Oregon, covering genres such as poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers. The organization's mission is to enrich lives through language and literature. Award recipients are chosen solely on merit by external judges who rotate each year. The award ceremony's venue has evolved over time, moving from the Scottish Rite Center to the Wonder Ballroom and, since 2009, to the Gerding Theatre at the Armory. In addition to the book awards, Literary Arts also supports authors through Oregon Literary Fellowships.

The Oregon Book Awards were founded in 1987 with the goal of honoring outstanding literary works by Oregon-based authors. The organization behind the awards, Literary Arts, Inc., officially merged with the Oregon Institute for Literary Arts in 1993, continuing the tradition of recognizing excellence in writing. The awards span a broad spectrum of literary forms, including poetry, fiction, drama, literary nonfiction, graphic literature, and young readers' literature. A significant aspect of the awards process is the selection of winners based purely on literary merit, with judges changing annually and coming from outside the state to ensure objectivity. This commitment to quality and impartial evaluation has been a cornerstone of the awards since their inception.

The awards program includes several specific categories, such as the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and the H. L. Davis Award for Short Fiction, acknowledging achievements in different forms of prose. For nonfiction, the Frances Fuller Victor Award and the Sarah Winnemucca Award highlight contributions to general and creative nonfiction, respectively. The awards also extend to drama and young readers' literature, with categories like the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature. Beyond the main book awards, Literary Arts also bestows special honors like the Charles Erskine Scott Wood Distinguished Writer Award and the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award, recognizing individuals and entities that have made significant, long-term contributions to the literary landscape of Oregon. The organization also provides Literary Fellowships to support emerging and established writers.