Projects and Awards
Bridge to Understanding Award
The Bridge to Understanding Award formally acknowledges the work of adults who use books to promote international understanding among children. This prestigious award was established in memory of Arlene Pillar, an educator who served USBBY as newsletter editor from 1984 until her untimely death in 1990. Organizations eligible for this award include schools, libraries, scout troops, clubs and bookstores. The program may be a one-time event or an ongoing series that serves children ranging in age from kindergarten through tenth grade. The award carries a monetary prize of $1000 and a certificate.
Click here for more information and application
Hans Christian Andersen Medal
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Frequently referred to as the "Little Nobel Prize," the Hans Christian Andersen Medal is awarded biennially to the "living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature." The nominations are made by the National Sections of IBBY and the recipients are selected by a distinguished international jury of children's literature specialists. |
 2006 HCA Winner for Writing, Margaret Mahy with Peter Schneck, IBBY President |
Past US winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal are:
1962 - Meindert DeJong (Author)
1970 - Maurice Sendak (Illustrator)
1972 - Scott O'Dell (Author)
1978 - Paula Fox (Author)
1992 - Virginia Hamilton (Author)
1998 - Katherine Paterson (Author)
Download a complete list of US and International nominees and winners from 1956 to the present.
2008 Hans Christian Andersen Medal Award Winner Announced
On March 31, 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Jury chair, Zohreh Ghaeni, announced the winners and finalists for the 2008 Author and Illustrator Awards. Jürg Schubiger (Switzerland) was named the winner of the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award and Roberto Innocenti (Italy) the winner of the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration.
According to the IBBY press release, "Schubiger was selected from 30 authors nominated for the award. The other finalists (in alphabetical order) were Bartolomeu Campos de Queirós (Brazil), Brian Doyle (Canada), Guus Kuijer (Netherlands) and David Almond (UK). Innocenti was selected from 30 illustrators nominated. The other finalists (in alphabetical order) were Isol Misenta (Argentina), Svjetlan Junakóvic (Croatia), Adolf Born (Czech Republic) and David Wiesner (USA)."
We owe a debt of gratitude to Junko Yokota, Hans Christian Andersen juror, and the USBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award Committee who selected our nominees, author Lloyd Alexander and illustrator David Wiesner. The USBBY committee chair for 2007-2008 was Sharon Deeds, Decatur, GA. Committee members included Julie Cummins, Canandaigua, NY; Christina M. Desai, Carbondale, IL; Susan Golden, Boone, NC; Jennifer Smith, Highland Heights, KY; Sylvia Vardell, Grand Prairie, TX. Thank you for your great work.
For more details on the 2008 winners, visit the IBBY web site
For more information, see IBBY's Hans Christian Andersen Awards page.
U.S. contributions to IBBY Honour List
The IBBY Honour List is a biennial selection of outstanding, recently published books that honors writers, illustrators, and translators of books for young people from all around the world. USBBY contributes a select set of books published in the United States for this international list.
Astrid Lindgren Award U.S. nominee
To honor the memory of author Astrid Lindgren and promote children´s and youth literature around the world, the Swedish government founded an international prize in her name: The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The award, of five million Swedish Kronor (crowns), is the world’s largest for children´s and youth literature, and the second-largest literature prize in the world. Storytellers, authors, illustrators and other individuals or organizations that make valuable contributions to the promotion of reading are eligible. USBBY member, Katherine Paterson was the 2006 recipient.
Other international projects
USBBY is also involved in various special projects in support of books and reading in countries around the world including Haiti, Lebanon, and Indonesia.