Youth Media Awards
ALA established the Notable Books for Children list in 1940. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) selection committees select the best children’s books for the current year. Each list includes the Newbery medal, the Caldecott medal, the Pura Belpré medal, Sibert medal, Geisel award, the Odyssey award, and Batchelder award.
Description & History
ALA established the Notable Books for Children list in 1940. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) selection committees select the best children’s books for the current year. Each list includes the Newbery medal, the Caldecott medal, the Pura Belpré medal, Sibert medal, Geisel award, the Odyssey award, and Batchelder award.
Partners
Professional Learning Resources
UNI Research Guide for Youth Library Awards
A comprehensive guide to the numerous children and youth book awards to help you gain a thorough knowledge of the awards, their history and links to the winning books.
BGSU Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards and Lists
An extensive guide to children’s and young adult book awards detailing what the awards honor and a brief history of the origins and purpose of the awards.
Book Tasting Webinar
This webinar from Infobase talks about how to build a Book Tasting event in your library which can be used to explore the Youth Media Award lists.
SLJ 2025 Youth Media Awards
This wonderful resource from School Library Journal (SLJ) gives reviews for award books, interviews with authors and illustrators, as well as articles about the titles. This is the perfect resource to get more information about the book on the list!
Past Newbery, Caldecott and Legacy Banquet Acceptance Speeches
Award-winning authors give acceptance speeches at the annual Book award banquets. Their speeches are recorded and archived. Written versions of speeches are also available.
State Children's Book Awards List
Listed by each state so you can locate your own state children's book awards.
Learner Engagement Resources
Building Excitement for Book Awards
School librarian Bitsy Parks shares how she gets her students excited for the Caldecott and Geisel Awards each January. However, her ideas are easily adapted for any potential award nominee list and age.
Promoting State Award Books with Library Centers & Read-aloud Lessons
From Mrs. J in the Library, Pennsylvania school librarian Collette Jakubowicz shares high engagement and low-prep ideas for using award books in library centers and in various read-aloud lessons.
Book Tasting
The Disruptive Librarian outlines how she sets up her book tastings that includes several ideas to provide some variety. Applicable for all grades.
90 Second Newbery Film Festival
The 90-Second Newbery Festival is a contest where young filmmakers (under the age of 18) create short videos of Newbery-winning books. The website includes a collection of videos as well as suggested steps for creating the videos
It’s Time to Mock It Up with your own Mock Election Program!
This ALSC blog post provides links to several other ALSC blog posts about ideas for hosting mock YMA programs.
Battle of the Books Bracket Voting (March Madness)
School Library Journal provides a complete how-to host your very own Battle of the Books, compatible with any award nominee list. This method works well with all ages and lends itself to student voice and choice.
Book Speed Dating
Highly adaptable for varying ages and book lists, book speed dating is fully laid out in this “you can do it too!” guide from school librarian Gwyneth Jones.
Book Lists and Recommendations
2025 Youth Media Award Winners
An article highlighting the books which received awards and honors in 2025.
Batchelder Award Winners, 1968 - 2025
The Batchelder 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 language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated
Belpré Award and Honor Books, 1996 - 2025
The Belpré Award honors a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
Caldecott Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1938 - 2025
The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Geisel Award Winners & Honor Books, 2006 - 2025
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.
Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1922 - 2025
The Newbery Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Notable Children’s Books, 2025
Each year a committee of ALSC identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should
Odyssey Award Winners & Honor Audiobooks, 2008 - 2025
The Odyssey Award will be awarded annually to the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.
Sibert Medal and Honor Books, 2001 - 2025
The Sibert Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year.
