Orbis Pictus Award

The Orbis Pictus Award honors outstanding nonfiction for children. The National Council of Teachers of English created it in 1989 and first presented it in 1990, making it the oldest children's book award devoted to nonfiction. Its name comes from Orbis Pictus, or The World in Pictures, a seventeenth-century book by the Czech educator Johannes Amos Comenius that is often described as the first book planned for children.

Each year an NCTE committee reviews nonfiction published in the United States, including biography but not textbooks, historical fiction, folklore or poetry. Members weigh accuracy, organization, writing style, illustration and design, and how well a book could serve classrooms from kindergarten through eighth grade. They choose one winner, up to five honor books and up to eight recommended titles, announced each November at the NCTE Annual Convention. Award years run a year ahead, so the 2026 award was announced in November 2025.

Original nonfiction for children, including biography, published or distributed in the United States during the previous year. Textbooks, historical fiction, folklore, poetry, compilations, adaptations of adult books, translations and reissues are not eligible.