Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
About the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
The award, a bronze medal, 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.
Administered by:
Award and Frequency
A bronze medal is awarded every other year.
This award is given out on a biennial basis.
Eligibility
The term "author or illustrator" means co-authors or co-illustrators, and persons who both write and illustrate. The person may be nominated posthumously. Some portion of the nominee's active career in books for children must have occurred in the twenty-five years prior to nomination. Citizenship or residence of the potential nominee is not to be considered.
"Books" means more than one book.
"Published in the United States" does not indicate that first publication had to be in the United States. It means that children's books written and/or illustrated by the nominee have been published in the United States, and it is those books which are to be considered in the nomination process.
"Over a period of years" means that at least some of the books by the potential nominee have been available to children for at least ten years.
"A substantial and lasting contribution" means that the books, by their nature (and/or number), occupy an important place in literature for American children and that over the years children have read the books and that the books continue to be requested and read by children.
The term "literature for children" indicates that the committee is to direct its attention only to the part of the potential nominee's total work which is books for children (up to and including age fourteen). It further indicates that the committee is to select on the basis of the literary or artistic merit of the books for children
Application Instructions
Nominees are selected by the Committee members.
Contact Information
Megan J. Schliesman (Chair)
105 Ohio Ave
Madison, WI 53704-5416
(608) 262-9503
schliesman@education.wisc.edu
JoAnn M. Jonas (Member)
5356 Dressage Dr
Bonita, CA 91902-2662
Andrew M. Medlar (Member)
Youth Materials Specialist
Chicago Public Library
400 S State St # 10-S
Chicago, IL 60605-1216
Martha V. Parravano (Member)
Editor
Horn Book Inc.
56 Roland St Ste 200
Boston, MA 02129-1233
Angela J. Reynolds (Member)
Head of Children's & Young Adult
Annapolis Valley Regional Library
P.O.Box 640
Bridgetown, NS B0S 1C0
CANADA
Caroline M. Jewell
(Staff Liaison,
March 26, 2012, to
June 30, 2016)
- cjewell@ala.org
Work Phone: (312) 280-4274
American Library Association
50 E Huron St
Chicago, IL 60611-2788
Work Phone: (312) 280-4274
American Library Association
50 E Huron St
Chicago, IL 60611-2788
Aimee Strittmatter
(Staff Liaison,
July 1, 2011, to
July 22, 2013)
- astrittmatter@ala.org
Work Phone: (312) 280-2163
Fax: (312) 280-5271
American Library Association
50 E Huron St
Chicago, IL 60611-2788
Work Phone: (312) 280-2163
Fax: (312) 280-5271
American Library Association
50 E Huron St
Chicago, IL 60611-2788
Displaying active committee roster as of 05/23/2013. Last retrieved on 05/23/2013. Members can log in to view full contact information for committee members.
Selection Criteria
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal shall be awarded every two years to an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have over a period of years made a substantial contribution to literature for children.
In addition to the criteria implicit in the terms and definitions, the committee may wish to consider whether:
Some or all of the books are exceptionally notable and leading examples of the genre to which they belong.
Some or all of the books have established a new type or kind of book or new trends in books available to children.
The committee, in making its selection of nominees, ought to be aware of the entire body of work for children of the potential nominee and may base its decision for nomination on the total body of work for children or on those portions of the total body of work which are of a substantial and lasting nature.
