John Newbery Medal

About the John Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

In 1921 Frederic G.Melcher had the Newbery Medal designed by René Paul Chambellan. The bronze medal has the winner's name and the date engraved on the back. The American Library Association Executive Board in 1922 delegated to the Children's Librarians' Section the responsibility for selecting the book to receive the Newbery Medal.

The inscription on the Newbery Medal still reads "Children's Librarians' Section," although the section has changed its name four times and its membership now includes both school and public library children's librarians in contrast to the years 1922-58, when the section, under three different names, included only public library children's librarians. Today the Medal is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA.

How the Newbery Medal Came to Be

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. On June 22, 1921, Frederic G. Melcher proposed the award to the American Library Association meeting of the Children's Librarians' Section and suggested that it be named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. The idea was enthusiastically accepted by the children's librarians, and Melcher's official proposal was approved by the ALA Executive Board in 1922. In Melcher's formal agreement with the board, the purpose of the Newbery Medal was stated as follows: "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field."

The Newbery Award thus became the first children's book award in the world. Its terms, as well as its long history, continue to make it the best known and most discussed children's book award in this country.

From the beginning of the awarding of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, committees could, and usually did, cite other books as worthy of attention. Such books were referred to as Newbery or Caldecott "runners-up." In 1971 the term "runners-up" was changed to "honor books." The new terminology was made retroactive so that all former runners-up are now referred to as Newbery or Caldecott Honor Books.

Administered by:

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) logo

2023 Winner(s)

Freewater

Written by Amina Luqman-Dawson. Published by JIMMY Patterson/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

A lyrical narrative tells the story of several children who escape slavery to discover freedom among a community of formerly enslaved Black people living in the Great Dismal Swamp.


2023 Honor(s)

Iveliz Explains It All

Written by Andrea Beatriz Arango. Published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House.

Iveliz’s thoughts and emotions are revealed in poignant, candid diary entries that chronicle her experiences with grief, relationships, bullying, and family conflict.


The Last Mapmaker

“The Last Mapmaker,” written by Christina Soontornvat. Published by Candlewick Press.

A mapmaker’s apprentice, Sai joins a group of explorers on a journey to map unexplored territories. Filled with secrets and double-crossing, this seafaring adventure follows Sai as she charts a new path to her destiny.


Maizy Chen’s Last Chance

Written by Lisa Yee. Published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House.

As Maizy gets to know her ailing grandfather and helps run the family’s Chinese restaurant during an unplanned summer in Minnesota, she also discovers her family history and fights racial prejudice.