Sibert 25th Anniversary - About the Award

History of the Robert F. Sibert Award 

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award was established by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) in 2000 to recognize the most distinguished informational book for children. The award was named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, long-time president of Bound to Stay Bound Books, a supplier of library-bound books to many schools and libraries. Sibert believed that creating an award for high quality nonfiction for children would bring attention to nonfiction books that might be overlooked by other book awards, which often favored fiction titles.  

The Robert F. Sibert Medal was first awarded in 2001 to Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado by Marc Aronson. Since 2001, the Sibert Award has been presented annually to a distinguished informational book for children (ages 0-14). Over the years, the award has honored informational books spanning a wide range of topics and formats. In 2026, we proudly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sibert Award and the outstanding books and creators it has recognized.

Note: Sibert is pronounced SIGH-bert, with a long “i” sound.