Literary award · United States · since 1954

Children's Literature Legacy Award

Prize for writers or illustrators of children's books. Established 1954 in United States.

About Children's Literature Legacy Award

The Children's Literature Legacy Award (formerly the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal or Wilder Award) is a prize awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to writers or illustrators of children's books published in the United States who have, over a period of years, made substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature. The bronze medal prize was originally named after its first winner, twentieth-century American author Laura Ingalls Wilder, before being renamed in 2018. Originally, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal was awarded every five years, awarding six prizes between 1955 and 1980. From 1980 to 2001 it was awarded every three years, awarding seven prizes. From 2001 to 2015 it was awarded every two years. It is now awarded annually.

From the Wikipedia article “Children's Literature Legacy Award”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2023James Ransome—
2022Grace Lin—
2021Mildred D. Taylor—
2020Kevin Henkes—
2019Walter Dean Myers—
2018Jacqueline Woodson—
2017Nikki Grimes—
2016Jerry Pinkney—
2015Donald Crews—
2013Katherine Paterson—
2011Tomie dePaola—
2009Ashley Bryan—
2005Laurence Yep—
2003Eric Carle—

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Children's Literature Legacy Award for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data