It’s finally here! It’s award season … for books! Early every year, the American Library Association (ALA) hosts its annual Youth Media Awards Press Conference. At this time, authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult literature are honored for the outstanding works they have published over the last year.
These books are selected by judging committees of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. Below are the awards honoring distinguished books for young adult readers. Be sure to check out the book lists for the complete list of winners and honorees!
Coretta Scott King Book
These awards honor the best books by African American authors and illustrators.
Coretta Scott King Book Winner
- “Twenty-four Seconds from Now…” by Jason Reynolds
King Author Honors
- “Black Girl You Are Atlas” written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
William C. Morris Award
This award is given to the best debut young adult book.
Winner
- “Not Like Other Girls” by Meredith Adamo
Honors
- “Aisle Nine” by Ian X. Cho
- “Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear” by Robin Wasley
- “Shut Up, This Is Serious” by Carolina Ixta
- “The Wilderness of Girls” by Madeline Claire Franklin
Michael L. Printz Award
This award honors the most distinguished work of young adult literature in a year.
Winner
- “Brownstone” written by Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia
Honors
- “Bright Red Fruit” by Safia Elhillo
- “Compound Fracture” by Andrew Joseph White
- “The Deep Dark” by Molly Knox Ostertag
- “Road Home” by Rex Ogle
The Sydney Taylor Book Award
These awards honor the best in Jewish literature, highlighting the Jewish experience, for young readers.
Gold Medalist for Middle-Grade Literature
- “The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival” by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos with Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos
Silver Medalists for Middle Grade Literature
- “Across So Many Seas” by Ruth Behar; Finn
- “Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop” by Joshua S. Levy
- “Just Shy of Ordinary” by A.J. Sass
Gold Medalist for Young Adult Literature
- “Night Owls” by A.R. Vishny
Silver Medalists for Young Adult Literature
- “The Forbidden Book” by Sacha Lamb and Trajectory by Cambria Gordon
Schneider Family Book Award
These awards honor the best books representing the disability experience.
Schneider Middle Grade Winner
- “Popcorn” written and illustrated by Rob Harrell
Schneider Middle Grade Honor
- “Louder Than Hunger” by John Schu
Schneider Young Adult Winner
- “Chronically Dolores” by Maya Van Wagenen
Schneider Young Adult Honors
- “Light Enough to Float” by Lauren Seal and On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
Stonewall Book Awards
These awards are for excellence in LGBTQ+ books published in English.
Stonewall Book Award for Young Adult Literature Winner
- “Canto Contigo” by Jonny Garza Villa
Stonewall Book Award for Young Adult Literature Honors
- “Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix” by Gabe Cole Novoa
- “Navigating with You” by Jeremy Whitley
- “Road Home” by Rex Ogle
- “Time and Time Again” by Chatham Greenfield
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
This award honors the best in nonfiction written for young adults.
Winner
- “Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire” by Paula Yoo
Honors
- “A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer—and Beyond” by Elizabeth Rusch
- “Homebody” by Theo Parish
- “Shackled: A Tale of Wronged Kids, Rogue Judges, and a Town that Looked Away” by Candy J. Cooper
- “The Unboxing of a Black Girl” by Angela Shanté.
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
These awards honor the best in children’s literature about Asian American and Pacific Islander American culture and heritage.
Young Adult Winner
- “Everything We Never Had” by Randy Ribay
Young Adult Honors
- “Lunar New Year Love Story” by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
- “Dragonfruit” by Makiia Lucier
Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences
These awards honor the best books published for adults but with excellent appeal to young adults.
Winner
- “Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability” by Melissa Blake
- “Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined” by David F. Walker
- “Daughters of Shandong” by Eve J. Chung
- “Dead Cat Tail Assassins” by P. Djeli Clark
- “I Feel Awful, Thanks” by Lara Pickle
- “I Was a Teenage Slasher” by Stephen Graham Jones
- “The Witch of Colchis” by Rosie Hewlett
- “The Witchstone” by Henry H. Neff
- “Woman, Life, Freedom” by Marjane Satrapi