ALA BOOK AWARDS 2022
January 27, 2022 - The American Library Association gives out many book, print, and media awards to worthy books that are published in the previous calendar year. Perhaps the most famous are the Youth Media Awards, which include the Alex Award, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the John Newbery Medal, the Micheal L. Printz Award, and the Randolph Caldecott Medal. This year’s winners and honorees were announced on Monday, January 24, 2022.
Here are links to all the specific awards titles the Library currently has in its catalog, including print-friendly lists of all the winners and honorees:
The Alex Award is named for Margaret Alexander Edwards, who went by “Alex.” She was a young adult library specialist who worked for many years at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore before she died in 1988. The Alex Award is given to ten books written for adults that also have special appeal to young adults ages 12 to 18.
Coretta Scott King Book Awards
The Coretta Scott King Book Award is named for the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to honor her courage and determination to continue the work for peace. It is awarded to outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. BONUS: We did a blog post about the Coretta Scott King Book Awards in September 2020.
The John Newbery Medal is named in honor of eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Created in 1922, it was the first children’s book award in the world.
The Michael L. Printz Award is named for a beloved high school librarian who passed away in 1996. It is awarded to a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal is named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Ellen Miles, Programming & Outreach Coordinator
