Caldecott Medal

The Randolph Caldecott Medal goes each year to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. It is named for Randolph Caldecott, the nineteenth-century English illustrator whose lively picture books helped shape the form, and it has been awarded since 1938 by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

The medal honors the illustration, not the text. The committee looks at how well the pictures tell the story or carry the theme, how skilfully the artist uses the chosen medium, and how well the book works for a child audience. Alongside the medal, the committee names a small number of Caldecott Honor books each year. Winners are announced every January at the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards.

The artist must be a citizen or resident of the United States. The book must be a picture book for children, with original illustrations that have not been published before, and it must have been published in English by an American publisher in the United States during the preceding year. The award defines children as readers up to and including age fourteen. The medal may be given to co-illustrators, and may be awarded posthumously.