Local teen author wins International Latino Book Awards

Young author Máximo César Castellanos of Georgetown recently received gold and bronze medals at the 2025 International Latino Book Awards Ceremony.

Máximo’s book, “Dr. Pren y el Guerrero del Otro Mundo” won a gold medal in the category of Charlie Ericksen Best Book Written by a Youth. His book, “Dr. Pren and the Guardian of the Vortex” won a bronze medal in the category of Best Fiction Book Translation, Spanish to English. Máximo’s book, “Dr. Pren y el Guardian del Vórtice,” was recognized with an honorable mention in the category of Best Young Adult Fiction book.

Máximo attended the International Latino Book Awards Ceremony Oct. 25 at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif. The event celebrates English, Spanish and Portuguese books in all categories: children, youth, adult, nonfiction, fiction, poetry and translation. The ILBA has grown over the last 27 years to become the largest Latino literacy and cultural awards in the U.S. The awards are produced by Empowering Latino Futures, a nonprofit organization co-founded in 1997 by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler. The diversity and quality of the finalists for the 27th Annual International Latino Book Awards reflects the increase in demand for books written by and about Latinos.

Castellanos has now written, illustrated, translated and published 12 books in Spanish and 11 books in English. Learn more at amazon.com/author/maximocesarcastellanos.