Tonight the Hawai’i Book Publisher’s Association hosted the 2015 Ka Palapala Poʻokela Awards at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. There were a lot of greats books in the field of nominees, but only these select few were chosen as the winners of the Award of Excellence and Honorable Mention in their respective categories, representing the best of Hawaiʻi publishing in 2014.
Here are the award results:
Excellence in Children’s Literature
- Award of Excellence – Honu and Hina: A Story of Coexistence by Patrick Ching, illustrated by Patrick Ching and Friends (Island Heritage)
- Honorable Mention – N/A
Excellence in Hawaiian Language, Culture & History
- Award of Excellence – No Mākou Ka Mana – Liberating the Nation by Kamanamaikalani Beamer (Kamehameha Publishing)
- Honorable Mention – North Shore Place Names: Kahuku to Ka‘ena by John R. K. Clark (University of Hawai`i Press)
Excellence in Literature
- Award of Excellence – The Red-Headed Hawaiian by Chris McKinney and Rudy Puana, M.D. (Mutual Publishing)
- Honorable Mention – The Sum of Breathing by Brenda Kwon (Bamboo Ridge Press)
Excellence in Illustrative or Photographic Books
- Award of Excellence – ‘Io Lani: The Hawaiian Hawk photographs by William Chillingworth
- Honorable Mention – Hawaiian Plant Life: Vegetation and Flora by Robert J. Gustafson, Derral R. Herbst & Phillip W. Rundel (University of Hawai`i Press)
Excellence in Natural Science
- Award of Excellence – Hawaiian Plant Life: Vegetation and Flora by Robert J. Gustafson, Derral R. Herbst & Phillip W. Rundel (University of Hawai`i Press)
- Honorable Mention – The Watersmart Garden: 100 Great Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape by Fred D. Rauch & Paul R. Weissich (University of Hawai`i Press)
Excellence in Text or Reference
- Award of Excellence – Tropical Pacific Island Environments by Christopher Lobban, Maria Schefter, Frank Camacho, & John Jocson (Bess Press)
- Honorable Mention – Practical Folk Medicine of Hawai‘i by Likeke R. McBride (Petroglyph Press)
Excellence in Cookbooks
- Award of Excellence – Ocean to Plate: Cooking Fish with Hawai‘i’s Kusuma Cooray by Kusuma Cooray (University of Hawai`i Press)
- Honorable Mention – A Portuguese Kitchen: Traditional Recipes with an Island Twist by Wanda Adams, photos by Ian Gillespie (Mutual Publishing)
Excellence in Special-Interest Books
- Award of Excellence – Writing the Hawai‘i Memoir by Darien Gee (Watermark Publishing)
- Honorable Mention – The Hawaiian Survival Handbook by Brother Noland, illustrations by Andrew J. Catanzariti (University of Hawai`i Press)
Excellence in Nonfiction Books
- Award of Excellence – Sovereign Sugar: Industry and Environment in Hawai‘i by Carol A. MacLennan (University of Hawai`i Press)
- Honorable Mention – No Mākou Ka Mana – Liberating the Nation by Kamanamaikalani Beamer (Kamehameha Publishing)
Excellence in Design
- Award of Excellence – He Puke Nō Nā Pēpē Hawai‘i Baby Book (Bess Press)
- Honorable Mention – The Hawaiian Survival Handbook designed by Jen Tadaki Catanzariti
Samuel M. Kamakau Award
No Mākou Ka Mana – Liberating the Nation by Kamanamaikalani Beamer (Kamehameha Publishing)
[gn_divider /]We would like to congratulate all of the authors, illustrators, designers and publishers on their extraordinary achievements. As always, we hope to see even more excellent books out of Hawaiʻi next year!
