The Youth Media Awards, presented at the beginning of each year by the American Library Association (ALA), are among the most prestigious honors for children’s and young adult literature in the U.S. The awards the ALA presents include the Newbery Medal for the most outstanding children’s book and the Caldecott Medal for distinguished picture book illustrations, as well as a range of other notable literary prizes. This year, numerous titles published by Penguin Random House U.S. imprints are again among the award winners. The 2026 recipients were announced last Monday in Chicago.
In addition to the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal, the ALA also presents the corresponding Newbery Honors and Caldecott Honors. Authors and illustrators published by Penguin Random House U.S. received two such honors this year. The Randolph Caldecott Honor was awarded to “Our Lake” by Angie Kang and “Sundust” by Zeke Peña, both published by Kokila. The Odyssey Award, the ALA’s audiobook award, was also presented this year to “Trans History” by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, published by Listening Library.
The ALA bestowed a total of 34 children’s and young adult book awards on works published by Penguin Random House U.S. imprints this year, as well as on authors and illustrators from across the publishing group. Here is an overview of all the award winners from across PRH imprints:
Randolph Caldecott Honor
- “Our Lake” by Angie Kang (Kokila)“Sundust” by Zeke Peña (Kokila)
Odyssey Award
- “Trans History” by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (Listening Library)
Odyssey Honor Audiobooks
- “Soundtrack” by Jason Reynolds (Listening Library)"Whale Eyes” by James Robinson (Listening Library)
Children’s Literature Legacy Award
- Candace Fleming
Margaret A. Edwards Award
- Candace Fleming
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award
- “Death in the Jungle” by Candace Fleming (Anne Schwartz Books)
Pura Belpré Children’s Author Honor
- “A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation” by Pablo Cartaya (Kokila)
Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award
- “On the Wings of la Noche” by Vanessa L. Torres (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
- “The Story of My Anger” by Jasminne Mendez (Dial Books for Young Readers)
- “Rosa by Any Other Name” by Hailey Alcaraz (Viking Books for Young Readers)
Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor
- “City Summer, Country Summer” by Kiese Laymon, illustrated by Alexis Franklin (Kokila)
Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor
- “The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze” by Derrick Barnes (Viking Books for Young Readers)
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award (Author)
- “Under the Neon Lights” by Arriel Vinson (Putnam Books for Young Readers)
Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
- “A World Without Summer” by Nicholas Day (Random House Studio)
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor
- “The History of We” by Nikkolas Smith (Kokila)
Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book
- “Earl & Worm #2: The Big Mess and Other Stories” by Greg Pizzoli (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Schneider Family Book Award Honor
- “I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea” by Janice Milusich (Anne Schwartz Books)
- “Octopus Moon” by Bobbie Pyron (Nancy Paulsen Books)
Schneider Family Book Award Medal in the Young Adult Literature Category
- “Whale Eyes” by James Robinson (Penguin Workshop)
Stonewall Book Award
- “Halfway to Somewhere” by Jose Pimienta (Random House Graphic)
Stonewall Book Award Honor Book
- “Hick: The Trailblazing Journalist Who Captured Eleanor Roosevelt’s Heart” by Sarah Miller (Random House Studio)
APALA Asian American Picture Book Winner
- “Many Things at Once” by Veera Hiranandani (Random House Studio)
APALA Asian American Picture Book Honor
- “A Vaisakhi to Remember” by Simran Jeet Singh, illustrated by Japneet Kaur (Kokila)
YALSA 2026 William C. Morris Award Finalist
- “First Love Language” by Stefany Valentine (Penguin Workshop)
American Indian Youth Literature Award
- “Buffalo Dreamer” by Violet Duncan (Nancy Paulsen Books)
Sydney Taylor Book Award
- “Shabbat Shalom, Let’s Rest and Reset” by Suzy Ultman (Rise x Penguin Workshop)
Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book
- “Same Page” by Elly Swartz (Delacorte Press)“Fanny’s Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born” by Richard Michelson and Alyssa Russell (Rocky Pond Books)“A World Worth Saving” by Kyle Lukoff (Dial Books for Young Readers)
GNCRT Outstanding Comics Award for Best Series
- “Witches of Brooklyn” by Sophie Escabasse (Random House Graphic)
GNCRT Outstanding Comics Award Honor for Best Series
- “Peapod Farm” by Lucy Knisley (Random House Graphic)
GNCRT Outstanding Comics Award Honor for Nonfiction
- “How to Say Goodbye in Cuban” by Daniel Miyares (Anne Schwartz Books)
