The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children".
[1] The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States.
[2] Books selected are widely carried by bookstores and libraries, the authors are interviewed on television, and master's theses and doctoral dissertations are written on them.
[3][4]: 1 The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the next ALA annual conference.
The Newbery Medal was established on June 22, 1921, at the annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA).
[7] The award was administered by the ALA from the start, but Melcher provided funds that paid for the design and production of the medal.
[4]: 1 In 1932 the committee felt it was important to encourage new writers in the field, so a rule was made that an author would win a second Newbery only if the vote was unanimous.
[11]: 11 In 1924 the process was changed, and instead of using popular vote it was decided that a special award committee would be formed to select the winner.
"[4] : 4 Newbery winners are announced at the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association, held in January or February.
[4]: 8 In 2015, K. T. Horning of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center proposed to ALSC that old discussions of the Newbery and Caldecott be made public in the service of researchers and historians.
[3][16] Lucy Calkins, of the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University's Teachers College, agreed with Silvey: "I can't help but believe that thousands, even millions, more children would grow up reading if the Newbery committee aimed to spotlight books that are deep and beautiful and irresistible to kids".