2026 ALA Youth Media Award Winners: Find the Best Children's & YA Books of the Year

On their 150th anniversary, the American Library Association (ALA) revealed the ALA YMA 2026 winners and honorees on January 26, 2026, honoring the year’s most exceptional books and media for children and teens. Recognized globally for their impact and excellence, the YMAs highlight the best books for kids and teens across beloved categories including the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Awards. If you're looking for the official 2026 ALA Youth Media Award winners list, you’re in the right place! This year’s announcement brought buzzing energy and excitement to the Hilton Chicago and to viewers tuning in via livestream. _[1]

In the months leading up to the reveal, librarians, educators, and book lovers closely followed a strong slate of contenders highlighted across mock award programs, expert curation lists, and prediction blogs – helping build excitement for which titles would ultimately shine. _[2] Here are some of the most buzzworthy 2026 ALA YMA contenders that led discussions throughout the season:

• Picture Book and Early Reader
  • Fireworks by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Catia Chien
• Upper Elementary
  • The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
• Middle Grade and YA
  • All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ALA YMAS

Now that the results are officially in, we’ve gathered the full list of 2026 medalists and honor books so you can easily add these celebrated titles to your library or classroom collection! Explore the winners below, then head to our curated list to shop the award-winning children’s, teens, and YA books.

SHOP WINNERS

A Round of Applause: The 2026 ALA YMA Winners

Below, you’ll find each major award category with the 2026 winners. These distinctions represent the highest achievements in children’s and young adult literature.

Newbery Medal Winner

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

All the Blues in the Sky

By Renee Watson

When 13-year-old Sage's best friend dies, Sage struggles with grief and feels she’s at fault. But when she joins a grief group, she slowly learns to heal.

Caldecott Medal Winner

The Randolph Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Fireworks

By Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Catia Chien

Highlights the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly await a spectacular fireworks display.

Printz Award Winner

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas, school librarian who was a longtime active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories

Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Set at a classic drive-in restaurant that seems to exist in every Native community, this anthology unites the stories of teens from all kinds of backgrounds through the shared theme of Native joy, with stories and poems reflecting hope, healing, humor, love, friendship, romance, and joy. 

Coretta Scott King Award Winners

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.

Winning Author

Will’s Race for Home 

By Jewell Parker Rhodes

During the land rush of 1889, African American Will and his father journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to stake their claim.

Winning Illustrator

The Library in the Woods 

Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

When Junior moves to Roxboro, North Carolina, in 1959, new friends bring him to an incredible place: the Negro Library.

Pura Belpré Award Winners

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Winning Illustrator

Popo the Xolo

Illustrated by Abraham Matias, written by Paloma Angelina Lopez

Nana transitions from life to death through the nine levels of Mictlan, accompanied by her beloved Xoloitzcuintle, Popo.

Winning Children’s Author

The Pecan Sheller

By Lupe Ruiz-Flores

In 1930s San Antonio, after her father's death, 13-year-old Petra must quit school to work at a pecan shelling factory where dangerous conditions and low wages push her to take a vital stand for change.

Winning YA Author

On the Wings of la Noche

By Vanessa L. Torres

Noche is a Lechuza by night, an ethereal jet-black owl who guides the dead to the after. Except now, Noche cannot bring herself to escort her dead girlfriend, whose soul is fading the harder Noche holds on-an aching romance about first and second loves and finding the strength to let go.

Sibert Book Medal Winner

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the longtime President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa

By Sara Andrea Fajardo

What can a potato do? To Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas, they have the power to change the world. Go on the hunt with Alberto for wild potatoes before they go extinct in this playful picture book biography.

As we celebrate the 2026 ALA Youth Media Award winners, it’s clear that this year’s standout titles offer exceptional opportunities for public libraries, school libraries, and classrooms looking to strengthen their collections. These award-winning children’s, teen, and YA books are perfect for library collection development, enriching books for school libraries, and supporting classroom-ready literature that engages readers across grade levels. 

Whether you’re a librarian curating recommended reads for students or patrons, an educator selecting high-impact titles for instruction, or a district leader shaping future-ready collections, these honored books bring lasting value to every learning environment. 

Explore our full list of winners and easily add these celebrated titles to your shelves today!

P.S. Don’t miss our free, downloadable ALA YMA posters to showcase the award winners on your library or classroom walls!