Explore Children's Book Awards
Looking for children’s books that have already been recognized as excellent? The major medals are a good place to start. These are the awards that librarians, teachers, and critics take most seriously—books that have stood out from thousands of others.
The Major Medals
Newbery Medal
The oldest children's book award in the world, presented annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Caldecott Medal
Named for the 19th-century illustrator Randolph Caldecott, this medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Coretta Scott King Award
Celebrates outstanding African American authors and illustrators whose books demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
Pura Belpré Award
Honors Latino and Latina writers and illustrators whose work best portrays and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in books for children and youth.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
Named for the beloved Dr. Seuss, the Geisel Award honors the most distinguished American books for children just learning to read on their own.
Ezra Jack Keats Award
In the spirit of The Snowy Day, the Keats Award recognizes promising new writers and illustrators whose books portray the multicultural nature of childhood.
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
Among the most prestigious honors in children's literature, presented across three categories: picture book, fiction and poetry, and nonfiction.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Honors outstanding children's books originally published in another language and translated into English, bringing the world's best stories to American readers.
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Honors the most distinguished informational books for children — true stories, science, history, and biography at their best.
The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award
Judged on artistic merit alone by a panel of three that changes every year — the rare children's award that considers only the pictures.
More Awards & Honors
State awards, best-of lists, and specialized honors from around the world — every other award in our collection, A to Z.