What Is the Minnesota Youth Reading Awards (MYRA) Website?

Updated

myrahome.org is the official site of Minnesota Youth Reading Awards, Inc. (MYRA), a 100% volunteer-powered organization that runs yearly "read and vote" book award programs for Minnesota youth. The site is the main place to find the two award programs — the Maud Hart Lovelace (MHL) and Star of the North (SOTN) awards — including current nominees, past winners, archives, and information on joining, volunteering, or sponsoring. It is a program and membership site, not a bookstore or a general reading-recommendation service.

What the Site Covers

The homepage and navigation point to four main areas:

  • The two awards. Each has its own section with current nominees, winners, archives going back multiple years, a description of the award, a volunteer sign-up, and a form to suggest titles.
  • Membership. Joining MYRA gives one site access to voting privileges for both the MHL and SOTN awards, member-only resources, a summer packet (posters, bookmarks, and other items from sponsors), and updates about events and resources tied to the current nominees.
  • Support. Pages for sponsors, donations, and MYRA swag.
  • Organization info. An About section, a contact form, and social media links.

The site runs on Wild Apricot membership software and shows a "Log in" link, which fits its membership model.

The Two Award Programs

Award What the site shows
Maud Hart Lovelace (MHL) Nominees and winners by year, archives back to 2021 and "all past nominees," volunteer and title-suggestion pages, and an "About MHL Award" page
Star of the North (SOTN) The same structure: yearly nominees and winners, archives, volunteer and suggestion pages, an "About SOTN Award" page, plus a Publishers page

The stated purpose of both programs is to give Minnesota youth nominee titles that let them "see themselves and others in the pages," make new connections, and enjoy reading. Students read from the nominee list and then vote — that read-and-vote model is the core of both awards.

Who the Site Is For

  • Minnesota youth and families looking for the current nominee lists or recent winners.
  • Teachers, librarians, and youth-group leaders who want to run a read-and-vote program at their site; the membership page describes voting privileges as tied to a "site."
  • Authors, publishers, and readers who want to suggest a title or volunteer on a selection committee.
  • Potential sponsors and donors — the site lists sponsors and a donation page.

What You Can Do on the Site

  1. Check current nominees and winners. Use the MHL or SOTN menus; each has a "2026 Nominees" and "2026 Winners" entry, and the homepage links to the 2025–2026 nominee lists and the 2026 announcement event recording.
  2. Browse the archives. Past nominee and winner lists are organized by year, so you can trace a title or see how the lists have changed.
  3. Join as a member site. The Join page describes voting access for both awards, member resources, the summer packet, and year-round updates.
  4. Volunteer or suggest a title. Each award has its own volunteer page and title-suggestion form.
  5. Contact the organization. A contact form is on the site, and the homepage lists [email protected] for volunteer inquiries.

Practical Notes

  • MYRA describes itself as connecting Minnesota youth to books for 40 years and as entirely volunteer-run, from board members to selection committees to readers.
  • The site does not publish prices for membership, sponsorship, or swag; check the Join, Sponsors, and Swag pages directly for current terms.
  • If you only need a reading list, the nominee pages are enough. If you want your students' votes to count, membership is the path the site describes.