The award, originally established in 1988, is organized by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

In 2000, that organization (including the awards) was moved to the Minnesota Humanities Commission,[1] which in turn announced in 2006 that the Friends of the Saint Paul Library would return to the lead organizational role for the Awards.

[2] Minnesota Book Awards are presented for Children's Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People's Literature.

[6] Since 1988, the Minnesota Fantasy Award has been presented annually to a person or persons with ties to Minnesota in recognition of their contributions to the fields of fantasy, science fiction and horror.

Also, since 1988, the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA) has honored books that "substantially represent northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage, or lifestyle."