| Children's Literature Legacy Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | "substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature" |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association |
| First award | 1954 |
| Website | ala |
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. [1] The bronze medal prize was originally named after its first winner, twentieth-century American author Laura Ingalls Wilder, before being renamed in 2018. [1]
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. [2] The most recent author to receive the award was Carole Boston Weatherford in 2025. [3]
In February 2018, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the division of ALA that administers the award, announced a taskforce which re-examined the naming of the award and included representation from the American Indian Library Association (AILA). [5] The task force was convened because of criticism of Wilder's depictions of Native and African Americans. [6] A recommendation to rename the award was made on June 23, 2018. [7] The ALSC board found Wilder's body of work "includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC's core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness." [8] The award's name was officially changed to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award." [9]
| Year | Author |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Carole Boston Weatherford |
| 2024 | Pam Muñoz Ryan |
| 2023 | James E. Ransome |
| 2022 | Grace Lin |
| 2021 | Mildred D. Taylor |
| 2020 | Kevin Henkes |
| 2019 | Walter Dean Myers |
| 2018 | Jacqueline Woodson |
| 2017 | Nikki Grimes |
| 2016 | Jerry Pinkney |
| 2015 | Donald Crews |
| 2013 | Katherine Paterson |
| 2011 | Tomie dePaola |
| 2009 | Ashley Bryan |
| 2007 | James Marshall |
| 2005 | Laurence Yep |
| 2003 | Eric Carle |
| 2001 | Milton Meltzer |
| 1998 | Russell Freedman |
| 1995 | Virginia Hamilton |
| 1992 | Marcia Brown |
| 1989 | Elizabeth George Speare |
| 1986 | Jean Fritz |
| 1983 | Maurice Sendak |
| 1980 | Theodor S. Geisel (Dr. Seuss) |
| 1975 | Beverly Cleary |
| 1970 | E. B. White |
| 1965 | Ruth Sawyer |
| 1960 | Clara Ingram Judson |
| 1954 | Laura Ingalls Wilder |
