Projects and Awards

International Awards

Hans Christian Andersen Medal

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.

Winners of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award Announced

David Almond, British writer of magical realism in tales such as Skellig and Clay, was named the recipient of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Author award. The jury noted that "Almond captures his young readers´ imagination and motivates them to read, think and be critical."

BBC's Jennifer Chevalier interviews 2010 Hans Christian Andersen winner David Almond

Jutta Bauer from Germany is the winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award. In making the announcement, the jury commented on her "philosophical approach, originality, creativity as well as her ability to communicate with young readers." For more information, please visit the IBBY web site.

About Andersen 2010: Zohreh Ghaeni, the president of 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury, has created a resource within the IBBY website that provides information about the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award candidates. Thirty-two IBBY National Sections have nominated 28 writers and 27 illustrators for the 2010 Andersen Award. Their photos, book titles and covers, as well as illustrations from the artists’ books are available. This is an outstanding resource for anyone interested in international books for young people.

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.

2010 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award Winners Announced

This award is given to projects that make "a lasting contribution to reading promotion for children and young people". The 2010 Asahi Reading Promotion Award winners are Osu Children´s Library Fund, Ghana and Convenio de Cooperación al Plan de Lectura, Medellín, Colombia.

The IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award was established in 1986 during the IBBY Congress in Tokyo. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper company sponsors the Award. It is given biennially to two groups or institutions whose outstanding activities are judged to be making a lasting contribution to reading promotion programmes for children and young people. The nominations are submitted by the National Sections of IBBY and may include projects from any part of the world. The jury consists of members of the IBBY Executive Committee. The prize of US$ 10,000 and a diploma is presented to the winners at the biennial IBBY Congress. Please visit the IBBY web site for more information on this year´s recipients.

2008 IBBY Asahi Reading Promotion Award Winners

2010 IBBY Honour Book List Announced

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.

The U.S. honorees for 2010 are:

For more details, please download the 2010 IBBY Honour Book List or visit the IBBY website.

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner announced

Belgian author and illustrator Kitty Crowther has been awarded the 2010 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Children's Literature. In announcing the prize of 5 million Swedish Kronor (SEK), the jury commented, "Kitty Crowther is the master of line but also of atmosphere…Humanism and sympathy permeate and unify her artistry". Read more about this award and those who have won, including US authors Maurice Sendak (2003) and Katherine Paterson (2006).

Astrid Lindgren Award U.S. nominees

Illustrator Jerry Pinkney and the nonprofit organization Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) are the USBBY nominees for the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This international prize was established by the Swedish government to honor the memory of author Astrid Lindgren and to promote children´s and youth literature around the world. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial 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.

Bridge to Understanding Award

The Bridge to Understanding Award formally acknowledges the work of adults who create programs that use children’s books to explore cultures around the world in order to promote international understanding among children. These programs should be based in a broad understanding of culture as ways of living and being in the world that go beyond the surface features of food, fashion, folklore, famous people, and festivals.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.


Presentation of the 2010 Bridge to Understanding Award to Kristina Applegate-Lutes (on left), Director of the Kids Share Workshops-Vermont. Kathy Short and John Mason made the presentation at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference
Vermont Participants during Kids Share Workshops—the USBBY 2010 Bridge to Understanding Award recipient
Kids Share Workshops Nicaragua participants. Kristina Applegate-Lutes, Director, is in the back row

2010 USBBY Bridge to Understanding Award Winner
The 2010 Bridge to Understanding Award winner's web site.

2008 USBBY Bridge to Understanding Award Winner

Click here for more information and application

Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities

USBBY nominates books published in the U.S. that meet the literary and artistic criteria and guidelines established by the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Disabled Young People in Oslo, Norway. If selected, these books become part of the permanent international collection at the Centre as well as a traveling collection. They are also published as an illustrated and annotated book list, Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Books on this list fit into three categories:

Download a pdf of the 2009 USBBY Submissions to the IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities.

For more information on the award's history or for ordering the catalogs of the most recent lists, please visit the IBBY Documentation Centre for Disabled Young People.

USA and International projects

The USBBY Special Projects Committee is currently accepting applications for funding future activities and/or projects.

Applications are judged on urgency of the need, the quality of the proposed project, short term and long term benefits, and compatibility with IBBY and USBBY´s mission and goals. No more than $4,000 will be awarded annually to any one project.

If you know of worthy domestic or foreign projects that would fit the criteria, you are invited to submit an application via email to V. Ellis Vance, Special Projects Fund chairperson, vev40@comcast.net. The application and guidelines can be downloaded or by emailing Ellis Vance at Executive.Secretary@usbby.org

The deadline for application submission is August 1 each year.

Opportunuties to Help

USBBY is involved in various special projects in support of books and reading in countries around the world including Haiti, Lebanon, and Indonesia.