Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards – United States, Canada, and Worldwide

Children’s Literature Awards

Children’s and YA book awards celebrate great writing and illustration for readers ages 4–18. They’re usually run by library groups, literacy nonprofits, and publishers, with judges that include librarians, teachers, critics, and sometimes kids themselves. Awards can focus on age (picture books, middle grade, YA), craft (writing, illustration, nonfiction), or theme (diversity, disability, LGBTQ+ representation). Well-regarded ones include the Newbery, Printz, and Caldecott in the US, the Governor General’s Awards in Canada, and the Carnegies and Astrid Lindgren globally. Following these lists helps schools find reliable, engaging books that build literacy, spark curiosity, and keep reading culture alive. This article features key children’s and young adult literature awards from the United States, Canada, and worldwide.

U.S. Children’s Literature Awards

• American Indian Youth Literature Award – Presented every two years, this award celebrates books created by Native American and Indigenous authors and illustrators that reflect authentic voices and experiences in Indigenous communities.
• Américas Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature – Honors books published in the United States that authentically portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latino cultures in the U.S., promoting cross-cultural understanding through literature.
• Asian Pacific American Awards – Recognizes outstanding books that celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage, helping young readers explore identity, family, and community through diverse stories and illustrations.
• Caldecott Medal – One of the most prestigious American children’s book awards, presented by the ALA to the artist of the most distinguished picture book published each year.
• Carter G. Woodson Book Award – Given for exceptional books in the social sciences that foster understanding of ethnicity and culture in the United States, encouraging inclusive perspectives in classrooms.
• Charlotte Huck Award – Recognizes imaginative fiction that inspires compassion and curiosity in young readers while affirming the joy and complexity of childhood.
• Charlotte Zolotow Award – Presented annually to the author of the best picture book text published in the U.S., emphasizing excellence in storytelling and language for young audiences.
• Children’s Literature Legacy Award – Honors an author or illustrator whose body of work, published in the U.S., has made a lasting and meaningful contribution to children’s literature.
• Coretta Scott King Book Awards – Celebrates African American authors and illustrators who promote an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values through exceptional children’s and young adult books.
• Dolly Gray Award – Recognizes high-quality fiction and biography that portray individuals with developmental disabilities with honesty, dignity, and depth.
• Ezra Jack Keats Award – Celebrates emerging authors and illustrators whose books reflect the diverse experiences of childhood and the strength of community and imagination.
• Green Earth Book Award – Honors books for children and teens that inspire environmental awareness, responsibility, and a love of the natural world.
• Growing Good Kids Book Award – Recognizes engaging books about plants, gardens, and ecology that encourage children to connect with nature and sustainability.
• Jane Addams Children’s Book Award – Presented to books that promote peace, social justice, global community, and equality, helping students explore fairness and empathy through reading.
• Margaret A. Edwards Award – Honors an author whose lifetime contribution to young adult literature has provided a lasting impact on teen readers.
• Massachusetts Book Award – Recognizes exceptional works by Massachusetts authors, including children’s and young adult titles that enrich reading and learning across the Commonwealth.
• Michael L. Printz Award – Given annually to the best book written for teens, judged solely on literary merit, and often highlighting bold, thought-provoking storytelling.
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award – Recognizes a U.S. publisher of an outstanding children’s book originally published in another language, encouraging international voices in children’s literature.
• Newbery Medal – Awarded to the author of the year’s most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, the Newbery is one of the highest honors in the field.
• Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children – Recognizes excellence in nonfiction for young readers, highlighting works that make complex topics engaging and accessible.
• Pura Belpré Award – Celebrates Latino and Latina writers and illustrators whose books best portray and honor the Latino cultural experience for children and teens.
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award – Given annually for the most distinguished informational book for children published in English, encouraging factual excellence and clarity.
• Schneider Family Book Award – Honors books that express the disability experience with authenticity, insight, and respect for children and teens.
• Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction – Presented for outstanding historical fiction for young readers, often set in the Americas and grounded in strong research and storytelling.
• Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & YA Literature Award – Recognizes books for youth that highlight the LGBTQIA+ experience with honesty, creativity, and heart.
• Sydney Taylor Book Award – Honors outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience for young readers, promoting cultural understanding and heritage.
• Theodor Seuss Geisel Award – Recognizes the most distinguished book for beginning readers, celebrating stories that help children build confidence and joy in reading.
• Tomás Rivera Mexican American Book Award – Honors books that authentically depict the lives and experiences of Mexican American children and young adults in the U.S.

Canadian Children’s Literature Awards

• Governor General’s Awards for Children’s Literature – Among Canada’s most prestigious literary honors, these awards celebrate excellence in children’s writing and illustration in both English and French each year.

Worldwide Children’s Literature Awards

• Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (Sweden) – One of the world’s largest prizes for children’s literature, honoring authors, illustrators, storytellers, and reading promoters who champion young people’s reading lives.
• Bal Sahitya Puraskar (India) – Annual awards from Sahitya Akademi recognizing distinguished children’s books across India’s many languages, encouraging reading in learners’ mother tongues.
• BolognaRagazzi Awards (Italy) – Internationally respected prizes from the Bologna Children’s Book Fair spotlighting innovative picture books and exceptional design across multiple categories.
• Branford Boase Award (UK) – Celebrates an outstanding debut novel for young people and uniquely honors the editor alongside the author, highlighting the craft of shaping new voices.
• The Carnegies (UK) – Awarded by British librarians for outstanding books for young people, recognizing literary excellence, imagination, and powerful illustration.
• CBCA Book of the Year Awards (Australia) – Australia’s hallmark children’s literature awards, showcasing high-quality books that connect with readers from early childhood through the teen years.
• Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award (China) – A major prize linked to the Shanghai Children’s Book Fair, recognizing authors, illustrators, publishers, and advocates who advance children’s literature.
• Children’s Booker Prize (UK) – launching 2026 – A new £50,000 award from the Booker Prize Foundation for outstanding fiction for readers 8–12, with children helping to select the winner.
• Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (Germany) – Germany’s state-sponsored awards recognizing excellence across picture books, children’s, YA, and nonfiction — and sparking nationwide conversations about reading.
• El Barco de Vapor / Gran Angular (Ibero-America) – Long-running SM Foundation prizes for children’s (El Barco de Vapor) and YA (Gran Angular) fiction across several countries, nurturing fresh writing for young readers.
• Exclusive Books IBBY SA Award (South Africa) – A biennial award for the best South African picture or illustrated children’s book, recognizing the country’s vibrant creative talent.
• Golden Baobab Prize (Pan-Africa) – An initiative nurturing new African voices in children’s and YA storytelling, with categories that encourage emerging writers across the continent.
• Gouden Griffel & Gouden Penseel (Netherlands) – The Netherlands’ foremost juried prizes: the Griffel honors outstanding text, while the Penseel celebrates distinguished illustration in children’s books.
• Hans Christian Andersen Award (International) – IBBY’s top lifetime honor for one author and one illustrator whose body of work has profoundly shaped children’s literature worldwide.
• Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award (Singapore) – A biennial prize recognizing outstanding children’s books by Singapore writers and illustrators, encouraging local talent and readership.
• IBBY Honour List (International) – A biennial selection of exceptional recent books by writers, illustrators, and translators from IBBY member countries, ideal for building global reading lists.
• KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards (Ireland) – Ireland’s leading honors for writing and illustration for young readers, celebrating artistry and impact in Irish and English.
• Klaus Flugge Prize (UK) – Shines a spotlight on the most exciting debut picture-book illustrators, helping teachers and librarians discover new talent.
• New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults (New Zealand) – Celebrates writing and illustration that reflect Aotearoa New Zealand’s stories, languages, and identities across multiple categories.
• Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize (Nordic Region) – Recognizes exceptional books for children written in a Nordic language, highlighting literary quality and cultural breadth.
• Premio Andersen (Italy) – Italy’s premier awards celebrating the year’s best books, authors, illustrators, and publishers for children and teens.
• Premio Nacional de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil (Spain) – Spain’s national prize for children’s and YA literature, awarded by the Ministry of Culture and backed by a significant purse.
• Prix Sorcières (France) – Awarded by France’s children’s booksellers and librarians, honoring outstanding picture books, fiction, and nonfiction each year.
• Waterstones Children’s Book Prize (UK) – A retailer-curated award championing new and emerging voices, with categories for picture books, younger readers, and older readers.