Each year the American Library Association (ALA) honors books and media for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media. Winners are announced annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting of the association (usually in January). Award presentations are at the ALA Annual Conference (usually in June). Major awards include:
Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing.
The award is sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust. Edwards was a young adult specialist for many years at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore. Her work is described in her book “Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts,” and over the years she has served as an inspiration to librarians who serve young adults. The Alex Awards are named after Edwards, who was called “Alex” by her friends.
Andrew Carnegie Medal
The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video was awarded for the first time in 1991 to honor an outstanding video production for children released during the previous year. The first recipients were producers George McQuilkin and John Matthews for "Ralph S. Mouse," based on the book by Beverly Cleary.
The annual award is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA, through an endowment established by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Coretta Scott King Book Awards
The Coretta Scott King Awards honor African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to "the African American experience via literature and illustration." The books - fiction or nonfiction - must have been published in the year prior to the award.
This year marks the 40th year that the Coretta Scott King Awards will be presented. The first presentation was in 1970 to Lillie Patterson, author of "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace." The first award to an illustrator was presented in 1974 to George Ford for "Ray Charles," written by Sharon Bell Mathis. Mathis also received the Coretta Scott King author award.
The awards are administered by the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. Winners receive a framed citation, an honorarium of $1,000 and multiple formats of the Encyclopedia Britannica or World Book Encyclopedia. Certificates are given to authors and illustrators of books receiving honor awards or for new talent.
John Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, honors the author of the year's most outstanding contribution to children's literature. Presented every year since 1922, the Medal is named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. Henrik Van Loon won the first Newbery Medal in 1922 for "The Story of Mankind." Receiving the Newbery Medal virtually guarantees that the winning book will remain in print and on library and bookstore shelves for years to come. It is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, established in 1954, honors an author or illustrator whose books are published in the U.S. and have, over a period of years, made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. The award is named in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the popular "Little House" series of books, which later became the basis for a television series. Wilder's first book, "The Little House in the Big Woods," (1932) was published when she was 65. Wilder received the first award in 1954. The award, administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA, was given every five years between 1960 and 1980. It is now given every other year.
Margaret A. Edwards Award
The Margaret A. Edwards Award, established in 1988, honors an author's lifetime contribution in writing for young adults as well as a specific body of his or her work. S.E. Hinton received the first Edwards Award in 1988 for her books "The Outsiders," "Rumblefish," "Tex" and "That Was Then, This is Now." Judy Blume received the 1996 award for "Forever."
The award is named in honor of the late Margaret A. Edwards, an administrator of young adult programs at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Md., for more than 30 years. Edwards brought young adult literature and library services to the attention of the library profession. She spent her professional life bringing books and young adults together, pioneering outreach services for teenagers and establishing a stringent training program designed for librarians beginning their work with adolescents.
The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine. Winners receive $2,000 and a citation.
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture
The lecturer, announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, may be an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature, of any country, who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children's literature. Once the name is made public, institutions wishing to host the lecture may apply. A library school, department of education in college or university, or a children's library system may be considered. This paper is delivered as a lecture each April, and is subsequently published in Children & Libraries, the journal of the Association for Library Service to Children. Scott, Foresman established the lecture series in 1969. The lectureship is now funded by the ALSC May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Endowment, and is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA.
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award, established in 1999, honors excellence in literature written for young adults. The first presentation was in 2000 to Walter Dean Myers for "Monster." The annual award is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association and sponsored by Booklist magazine.
The award is named in honor of the late Michael L. Printz, longtime YALSA member and Topeka, Kans., school librarian, known for discovering and promoting quality books for young adults. "Mike," as his friends and colleagues knew him, served on both the YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults and Margaret A. Edwards Award Committees.
The award-winning book may be fiction, nonfiction, poetry or an anthology and can be a work of joint authorship or editorship. Nominated books may have been previously published in another country, but must have been in the U.S. during the preceding year. The books must be designated by their publishers as either a young adult book or one published for ages 12 through 18.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is presented to a publisher for the most outstanding book originally published in a country other than the United States in a language other than English and subsequently translated into English for publication in the U.S. The award was first presented in 1968 to Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., for "The Little Man," written by Erich Kästner and translated from German by James Kirkup. The award is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA.
Odyssey Award
The Odyssey Award is presented to the producer of the best audiobook produced for youth available in English in the United States. The first Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production was given in January 2008. Honor titles may also be selected. The award is jointly administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist magazine.
Pura Belpré Awards
The Pura Belpré Awards honor Latino writers and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for youth. The award is named in honor of Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library and a pioneer in preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.
The Belpré Award was first presented in 1996 to Judith Ortiz Cofer, author of "An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio" and to Susan Guevara, illustrator for "Chato’s Kitchen." It is jointly administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA and the National Association to Promote Library Services to the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). This award was presented every other year from 1996-2008; beginning in 2009 it will be presented annually.
Randolph Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal honors the illustrator of the year's most distinguished American picture book for children. Presented every year since 1938, the medal is named for Randolph Caldecott, a 19th-century English illustrator known for the action, vitality and humor of his picture books. Dorothy P. Lathrop won the first Caldecott Medal in 1938 for "Animals of the Bible." Receiving the Caldecott Medal virtually guarantees that the winning book will remain in print and on library and bookstore shelves for years to come. It is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA.
Robert F. Sibert Book Award
The Robert F. Sibert Book Award was awarded for the first time in 2001 to Marc Aronson for “Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado.” It is given to honor the authors, illustrators and/or photographers of the most distinguished informational book published for children in the preceding year. Informational books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize and interpret documentable factual material.
The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time president of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., of Jacksonville, Ill. It is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA.
Schneider Family Book Award
The Schneider Family Book Award is a new addition to the American Library Association’s Media Youth Awards. The award is donated by Dr. Katherine Schneider, and honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Three annual awards are presented for the best Teen, Middle School and Children’s Book. The American Library Association administers the Awards, and each recipient receives $5000 and a framed plaque. Winners are announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is presented annually to both the author(s) and illustrator(s) of an outstanding book for beginning readers published in the past calendar year. The winning author(s) and illustrator(s) must demonstrate great creativity to engage children in reading. The first Theodor Seuss Geisel Award was presented in 2006 to author Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Suçie Stevenson for “Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas.” The Association Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the ALA, administers the award.
William C. Morris Award
The William C. Morris Award begins in 2009, honoring a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.
The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. Bill Morris left an impressive mark on the field of children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for promoting literature for children and teens.
The William C. Morris Award celebrates the achievement of a previously unpublished author, or authors, who have made a strong literary debut in writing for young adult readers. The work cited will illuminate the teen experience and enrich the lives of its readers through its excellence.