Award Winners

Every year, committees affiliated with the American Library Association give out awards to books for children & teenagers - collectively, these are called the Youth Media Awards. You can find a list of all the Youth Media Awards here, and a few listed below (the ones that I think will be most interesting for you guys). A complete list of 2022 winners and honor books can be found here.

The Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" up to age 14. The Newbery has been around since 1922. This year's winner is Merci Suárez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina.

The Coretta Scott King Book Award is given to "outstanding African Americanauthors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation ofAfrican American culture and universal human values." This year's winner is A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riots of 1919, by Claire Hartfield.

The Pura Belpré Award is given to "a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth." This year's winner is The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo.

The Printz Medal is awarded to "a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature." This year's winner is The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo. As you can see, it won two major awards. Yes, it is that good.

The YALSA Nonfiction Award is a newer award (started in 2010), given to "the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18)." This year's winner is The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees, by Don Brown.

Remember, the Youth Media Award winners are chosen by adults – a small group of librarians who are on a committee. The Caudill and Lincoln awards are chosen by students in Illinois. That means the lists are usually going to look different. Which list is more useful for you, and why?