Each year, the American Library Association awards outstanding children’s books from the previous year with a variety of medals. Often, the medals you find on books for children are associated with these awards. You’ve probably seen these before, but been unsure of what they signify. To help you make sense of them, we’ve provided an image of each medal below and a description of the award. We’ve also listed all the winners for 2018. Happy reading!

 

John Newbery Medal

This is one of the oldest, most recognizable awards for books for young readers. It is awarded to “the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”

 

2018 Winner

Hello Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly

2018 Honor Books

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

 

Randolph Caldecott Medal

Like the Newbery, the Caldecott has been around for a while and is very recognizable. Although the text or story in Caldecott books is often wonderfully done, this medal is an illustrator award given to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.”

2018 Winner

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

2018 Honor Books

Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut illustrated by Gordon C. James, written by Derrick Barnes

A Different Pond illustrated by Thi Bui, written by Bao Phi

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

 

Coretta Scott King Awards

These three awards—Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award, Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award, and Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award—are given out to commemorate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and honor his wife, Coretta Scott King. These are awarded “to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.”

2018 Winner: Author

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

2018 Honor Books: Author

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

 

2018 Winner: Illustrator

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets illustrated by Ekua Holmes

2018 Honor Books: Illustrator

Crown: An Ode to a Fresh Cut illustrated by Gordon C. James, written by Derrick Barnes

Before She Was Harriet: The Story of Harriet Tubman illustrated by James E. Ransome, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome

 

2018 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award Winners

Author: The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

Illustrator: Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song illustrated by Charly Palmer, written by Kathryn Erskine

 

Michael L. Printz Award

While most of these awards are given to books written for a younger audience, this award is given out to “a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.”

 

2018 Winner

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

2018 Honor Books

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

 

Schneider Family Book Award

Each year, one children’s book, one middle grade (ages 8-12) book, and one young adult book wins this award. It goes to “a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.”

 

2018 Young Children Winner

Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say

2018 Middle Grade Winner

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green

2018 YA Winner

You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

 

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award

This award is presented to 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.”

 

2018 Winner

Author Jacqueline Woodson

 

Margaret A. Edwards Award

This award is essentially a lifetime achievement award for contributions to young adult literature, specifically honoring “an author’s work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.”

 

2018 Winner

Angela Johnson

 

Mildred L. Batchelder Award

This award is given to “an American publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.”

2018 Winner

The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius, translated from Swedish by Peter Graves

2018 Honor Books

Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education by Raphaële Frier and Aurélia Fronty, translated from French by Julie Cormier

When a Wolf is Hungry by Christine Naumann-Villemin and Kris Di Giacomo, translated from French by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

You Can’t Be Too Careful! by Roger Mello, translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn.

 

Pura Belpré Awards

This award is presented each year 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.”

 

2018 Winner: Illustrator

La Princesa and the Pea illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, written by Susan Middleton Elya

2018 Honor Books: Illustrator

All Around Us illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, written by Xelena González

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos illustrated by John Parra, written by Monica Brown

 

2018 Winner: Author

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

2018 Honor Books: Author

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

 

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal

While the majority of these awards are given to works of fiction, this medal is awarded to “the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English.

 

2018 Winner

Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner

2018 Honor Books

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, June Jo Lee, and Man One

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask about Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw and Matt

Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem by Patricia Newman

 

Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award

This award is given out each year to a book “of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.”

2018 Winners

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater

2018 Honor Books

As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

 

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

In honor of Dr. Seuss, this award is given to an author and illustrator for their work for “the most distinguished American book for beginning readers

2018 Winner

Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder

2018 Honor Books

I See a Cat by Paul Meisel

King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers

My Kite Is Stuck! And Other Stories by Salina Yoon

Noodleheads See the Future by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss, and Tedd Arnold

Snail & Worm Again by Tina Kügler

 

William C. Morris Award

This award is presented to “a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.”

 

2018 Winner

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

2018 Honor Books

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Devils Within S. F. Henson

Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

 

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

These awards are given to “the best nonfiction book published for young adults.”

 

 

2018 Winner

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

2018 Finalists

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Lisa Charleyboy

Eyes of the World: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and the Invention of Modern Photojournalism by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater

The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin W. Sandler