Golden Sower History
The Golden Sower Award was started by Drs. Karla Hawkins Wendelin and Dee Storey, both professors in the Elementary Education Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They created the structure for the program in 1980 with funding acquired through a Nebraska Council of Humanities grant. The bronze statue on the top of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln was the inspiration for naming the award. Just as the Sower sows seeds, symbolizing the agriculture, life, and prosperity of the state, the award seeks to sow seeds of literacy in children by encouraging them to read.
The first Golden Sower Award went to Deborah and James Howe for Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale Mystery in 1981. There were 4,185 votes tallied that first year. A primary grade category was added in 1983; Judy and Ron Barrett won that award for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. A third category, designated for young adult readers, was added in 1992. The first award in that category was presented to Joan Lowery Nixon for Whispers from the Dead. There were 59,688 readers who cast votes that year.
As the program grew over the years, a committee was formed to manage the operations and details of what had become a very popular reading program for schools, libraries, and individuals throughout the state of Nebraska. The award became affiliated with the Nebraska Library Association as a committee under the School, Children and Young People's Section (SCYP) of NLA in 1985. In 2022, NLA officially retained their long-standing rights to the award and elevated the Golden Sower Committee into a standing committee separate from SCYP. This provided oversight and accountability to the award.
In 2016, the committee revised the categories of books in order to better describe the generally intended reading levels of the program. The three categories became: Picture Books intended for grades K-12 (formerly Primary); Chapter Books intended for grades 3-5 (formerly Intermediate); and Novel intended for grades 6-8 (formerly Young Adult). In 2023, the committee assigned Nebraska-themed, nature-based names to each reading level to center the wonder and creativity of children. This changed the reading categories to Little Bluestem (K-12), Honeybee (3-5), and Meadowlark (6-8). Then, upon creating a brand new reading level intended for high school readers, the committee opened voting for Nebraska students and educators to help choose the new category name. Thus, the Bald Eagle reading level intended for grades 9-12 was created, and its first nominees were announced for the 2025-26 school year.
Each year, thousands of Nebraska's youth participate in the Golden Sower Award by reading titles, talking about the books with others, participating in "book battles," voting for their favorite titles, and celebrating the winners. The most votes ever received for the award was in 2013-2014 when more than 75,000 votes were tallied.
All of those involved with the award, past and present, are excited to be a part of this great tradition and to continue promoting a love for reading!
Click on these links to access a list of past winners and nominees and the history of voting numbers.
