The Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose went

"First, thank you to the L.A. Times and the Christopher Isherwood foundation for this enormous honor, I can’t think of a more fitting prize and a more fitting place to be recognized for my work as a Salvadoran immigrant," Zamora said after accepting the award. "More than 1 million of us have been displaced by state oppression, racism, homophobia and gender based violence. When you acknowledge me, you acknowledge all of us."

The 2022 Innovator's Award went to the Freedom to Read Foundation, recognizing their work in protecting the public’s right to access information in libraries and helping provide legal counsel to librarians fighting to preserve their First Amendment rights. The foundation has also been active in documenting and opposing the current nationwide wave of book bans plaguing the country.

The Book Prizes ceremony is a prologue to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the nation’s largest literary and cultural festival, which brings together more than 500 writers, musicians, artists and chefs, hundreds of exhibitors and an estimated 1500,000 attendees each year.

Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith won the graphic novel/comic prize for “Wash Day Diaries,” a tribute to Black joy that follows four best friends living in the Bronx. When accepting the award on behalf of both winners, Rowser said she believes she and Smith are the first Black women to be nominated for this award, and the first to win it. “We shouldn’t have to prove books like ‘Wash Day Diaries’ should be published, so I hope this will pave the wave for more comics like ours.”