The Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards were established by The Haiku Foundation in 2010 to recognize published collections of poems or works of scholarship that represent noteworthy contributions to English-language haikai. Books and book-length productions, either in print or electronic, about haiku and related forms published in the current year are eligible for the award. Nominations are made by authors and publishers, and winners are determined by a five-member Selection Panel that includes poets, editors, and scholars.