Children’s Book Awards
Looking for a great read? With this list, you can pick a winner! Follow the link to the website for the award and you’ll often find the list of honored and nominated books for each year as well.
Established in 1996, the Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award serves to honor internationally renowned Kansas author Bill Martin, Jr., as well as commend outstanding authors/illustrators. It also promotes in young children an appreciation for literature and encourages involvement in promoting quality picture books.
The Caldecott Medal has been given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children of each year since 1938.
Awarded since 1922, the Newbery Medal is for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children up to age 14.
The Children’s Choices project is cosponsored by the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council, since 1974. Children themselves evaluate the books, and provide reviews of their favorites.
The Coretta Scott King Award is given to African American authors and illustrators, for exceptional titles that reflect the African American experience. Awards are given for titles in three age levels.
The Ezra Jack Keats Award is for authors and illustrators of picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world.
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is for good books for children in translation from all parts of the world. These are titles from many different languages, since 1979.
The American Indian Youth Literature Award was created in 2006, as a way to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians.
The Pura Belpré Award goes every year to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work for children and youth best celebrates the Latino cultural experience. It is named after the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library.
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal goes to the author of the most distinguished informational book for children published in English each year. These are not to be missed if you are into history, science, medical discoveries, etc.
The Schneider Family Book Award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is for outstanding children’s books that portray the Jewish experience. Sydney Taylor was the author of the All-of-a-kind Family series, which you shouldn’t miss.
The William Allen White Award is Kansas’ kids’ choice award. Every spring two lists of titles at different age levels (grades 3-5 and grades 6-8) are selected, and children throughout Kansas read from the list. In April they can vote!
The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. This award is named in honor of Theodor Seuss Geisel, beloved author of many children’s books.
The Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made over a period of years a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.
The Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction goes to an author for a book published in the previous year for children or young adults. Scott O’Dell established this award to encourage other writers–particularly new authors–to focus on historical fiction.
The National Book Award for Young People’s Literature is given out by the National Book Foundation with the goal of enhancing the public’s awareness of exceptional books written by fellow Americans, and to increase the popularity of reading in general.
NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children is an annual award for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children.
The NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children was established in 1977 to honor a living American poet for his or her aggregate work for children ages 3-13.
Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.