Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
About the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
The Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement is named in memory of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. The annual award is presented in even years to an African American author, illustrator or author/illustrator for a body of his or her published books for children and/or young adults, and who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution. The recipient of the inaugural award was Walter Dean Myers in 2010. In odd years, the award is presented to a practitioner for substantial contributions through active engagement with youth using award winning African American literature for children and/or young adults, via implementation of reading and reading related activities/programs. Dr. Henrietta M. Smith was the recipient of the first practitioner award in 2011. A medal and check for $1,500 is presented to the winner during the Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast at the ALA Annual Conference.
Administered by:
2010 Winner(s)
Walter Dean Myers
Myers’ body of work is chiefly fiction and also includes biography, poetry, history and memoir. The community of Harlem and ongoing dialogues with today’s youth, serve as his muse. He writes authentically in the voice of young people, and is best known for creating vivid, unflinching stories that speak candidly of the lives of teens.
For four decades, his characters have wrestled with life changing decisions. While his stories often incorporate humor, music, sports and adventure, they also address challenging themes such as love, with “Amiri & Odette: A Love Story”; incarceration, with “Monster”; and war, with “Fallen Angels” and “Sunrise Over Fallujah”.
