Michael L. Printz Award

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award recognizes the best young adult book published in the United States each year and is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award complements honors such as the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Miles Franklin Award and the Caldecott Medal and reflects trends seen in prizes like the Man Booker Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. The Printz Award has become a touchstone within networks linking the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, the National Council of Teachers of English and literary festivals such as the Brooklyn Book Festival and the ALA Annual Conference.

History

The award was established in 2000 by the Young Adult Library Services Association and named to honor the legacy of Michael L. Printz while situating itself alongside venerable prizes like the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Stonewall Book Award and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. Its inception paralleled developments in awards such as the Printz contemporaneous expansion of teen literature recognition similar to the National Book Award for Young People and echoed earlier reforms exemplified by the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Early administrators referenced precedent from the Newbery, the Caldecott Medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards and the Edgar Awards when designing guidelines, and initial shortlists generated discourse among critics at The New York Times, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.

Criteria and Selection Process

The selection process is overseen by a committee appointed by the Young Adult Library Services Association and follows parameters influenced by standards of the American Library Association, the National Book Critics Circle, the Pulitzer Prize Board and juries for the Man Booker Prize. Eligible works must be published in the United States, and committee members draw comparisons with titles recognized by the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Book Awards. The committee meets during the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting and the ALA Annual Conference; deliberations reference nomination procedures used by the Newbery Medal committee, the Caldecott committee, the Lambda Literary Awards and the Stonewall Committee. Decisions result in a single winner and, frequently, multiple honor books similar to how the Booker Prize shortlist and the National Book Award longlist function.

Winners and Honor Books

Winners and honor books over the years have included works by authors whose careers intersect with prizes like the National Book Award, the PEN/Robert B. Silvers Prize, the Carnegie Medal and the Governor General's Awards. Past recipients and honorees have included names comparable in stature to Judy Blume, Toni Morrison, Angie Thomas, John Green, Maureen Johnson, Marcus Zusak and Sherman Alexie—authors often discussed in conjunction with the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Printz-like accolades from the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards and the Edgar Awards. The award has produced shortlists that mirror those of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Lambda Literary Awards, the Pura Belpré Award and the Stonewall Book Award, and winners have been reviewed in venues such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Entertainment Weekly, NPR and The Guardian.

Impact and Reception

The Printz Award has influenced acquisition policies at institutions such as the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Los Angeles Public Library and academic libraries at Harvard University, Yale University and the University of Chicago; it has shaped curricula in school districts referenced by the National Council of Teachers of English and has affected bookstore promotion strategies at Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Powell's Books and independent booksellers. Critical reception often appears alongside coverage of the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, the Carnegie Medal and the Man Booker Prize in outlets like The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. The award has catalyzed conversations at literary conferences including PEN America, the Brooklyn Book Festival, the Miami Book Fair and the Edinburgh International Book Festival about diversity, censorship and representation similar to debates surrounding the Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpré Award and the Stonewall Book Award.

Administration and Sponsorship

Administration of the Printz Award is the responsibility of the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, and its procedures reflect organizational practices shared with committees for the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award and the Pura Belpré Award. Sponsorship and support have come from institutional relationships with publishing houses such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan Publishers, and the award's announcements are typically coordinated with events at the ALA Annual Conference, the ALA Midwinter Meeting, the National Book Festival and book fairs like BookExpo America.

Category:American literary awards Category:Young adult literature awards