The United States has the oldest book award for children – the Newberry award – and a plethora of other wonderful book awards such as the Caldecott, Newberry, Horn Book Award, and more. I love looking through past winner lists and seeing what great reads I might have missed. And although the U.S. has some amazing children’s book authors and illustrators, we are just one country. Today I want to share some other English-speaking countries’ most prestigious book awards, and also two prominent international awards.
United Kingdom
The Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal
The Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal are to the United Kingdom as the Caldecott and Newberry awards are to America. The awards are presented by CILIP, the library and information association of the UK. They are England’s most prestigious children’s book awards, “recognising outstanding reading experiences created through writing and illustration in books for children and young people.” Per the CILIP website:
The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people.
The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.
Greenaway books are more appropriate for younger children, while the Carnegie medal is typically awarded to books for older kids. Past Kate Greenaway Medal winners include The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon (2007) by Mini Grey, and This is Not My Hat (2017) by Jon Klassen. The 2020 Kate Greenaway Medal winner was Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan.
Unlike the Caldecott and Newberry, the Carnegie and Greenaway medal recipients do not need to be residents of the UK. The only criteria are that the book entry must be published in the English language (whether originally or translated) and that the book must be published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. This is how 2017 winner This is Not My Hat ended up winning both the Greenaway in the UK and the Caldecott in America.
Australia
The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) presents annual Book of the Year awards to books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children’s literature. Six book awards are given each year: Book of the Year for Older Readers, Younger Readers, and Early Childhood; Picture Book of the Year, the Eve Pownall Award, and the CBCA Award for New Illustrator.
Since my children are younger I am most interested in the Book of the Year for Early Childhood category which is for children ages 0-6. Previous winners include A Year on Our Farm (2003) by Penny Matthews and Go to Sleep, Jessie! (2015) by Libby Gleeson. The 2020 winner was My Friend Fred by Frances Watts.
The Picture Book of the Year category is another way to find some good picture books, however, the award is given to any picture book appropriate for children up to age 18, so some of the selections are not for young kids. The 2020 Picture Book of the Year winner was I NEED a Parrot by Chris McKimmie.
Canada
Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award
The Book of the Year for Children Award was presented annually by the Canadian Library Association (CLA) from 1947 until 2016 when the CLA was disbanded.
Similar to the Newberry and Caldecott awards, the Book of the Year is for the best children’s book and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon award is for the best illustrated children’s book. Although the awards no longer continue, the association leaves behind a list of notable winners. The 2016 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon winner was Sidewalk Flowers written by JonArno Lawson and illustrated by Sydney Smith. You can find other past winners here.
CLA was replaced with the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) and no longer presents book awards.
International
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is administered by the Swedish Arts Council and given globally to an author, illustrator, storyteller or organization that promotes children’s literature.
It is named in honor of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking) and her lasting contribution to children’s literature. It has the distinction of being the highest-paid children’s book award – the prize recipient is awarded 5 million Swedish kronor – equivalent to approximately half a million US dollars!
French author Jean-Claude Mourlevat won the prize in 2021. Past prize winners include picture book artist Baek Heena from South Korea (2020), Philip Pullman from the UK (2005), and Praesa (2015), an organization from South Africa that promotes reading for children.
Hans Christian Andersen Award
One of the most prestigious awards is presented by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the “highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children’s books,” and has been described as the Nobel Prize of children’s books. Instead of the award going to a book, it is given to a body of work produced by an author or illustrator and recognizes the lifetime achievement of that creator. The award is presented every other year. In 2020, 34 authors and 36 illustrators were nominated from 39 different countries.
The 2020 author winner was American author Jacqueline Woodson, and the illustrator award was given to Swiss illustrator Albertine.
Previous winners include American author Maurice Sendak and Quentin Blake from the UK. (You might recognize Blake’s work from Roald Dahl’s books, but he has also written or illustrated over 500 books!)
IBBY Honor List
And although not an award, the IBBY Honor List has one of the best selections for the greatest international books published. It is comprised of outstanding children’s books honoring authors, illustrators, and translators and has been published biennially since 1956. The 2020 Honors List has 179 books from 60 countries, including books written in 48 languages ranging from Afrikaans to Woiwurrung (an Aboriginal language.) I highly recommend browsing this list if you are interested in outstanding children’s books from different cultures.
This list is just a brief overview, but there are a plethora of foreign children’s book awards and lists out there to help guide you in finding the perfect book. For more United States book awards and lists check out The Best Caldecott Award-Winning Books for Young Children and Children’s Book Awards: Caldecott vs. Newberry, and the TIME Magazine 100 Best Children’s Books List. As always, thanks for reading and come visit soon.
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