The award recognizes a living author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made "a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children".
[1] Clara Ingram was born on May 4, 1879, in Logansport, Indiana, and married James McIntosh Judson in 1901.
[2] She was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal three times, in 1951 for Abraham Lincoln, Friend of the People, in 1954 for Theodore Roosevelt, Fighting Patriot, both about US presidents; and in 1957 for Mr. Justice Holmes, about Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.[3] Judson served as the 15th president of the Illinois Woman's Press Association from June 1923 until June 1925.
[5] Her homemaking economics features over radio station WLS in Chicago debuted in 1928, making her one of the first women "on the air".
[7] The Clara Ingram Judson Award from the Society of Midland Authors, recognizing the most creative writing for children in the midwestern United States, is named after her.