Printz Honor
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| Printz Honor | |
|---|---|
| Name | Printz Honor |
| Description | Honor for excellence in young adult literature |
| Presenter | Young Adult Library Services Association |
| Country | United States |
| Year | 2000 |
Printz Honor is a literary distinction conferred by the Young Adult Library Services Association to recognize outstanding works in young adult literature. Established as part of a larger award program, it highlights distinguished titles alongside a primary medal and has elevated the profiles of authors, publishers, and librarians. Recipients include novels, collections, and works by a diverse range of creators from debut writers to established figures.
History
The award program emerged within the context of evolving youth literature initiatives championed by the American Library Association, building on precedents set by honors such as the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, and the Coretta Scott King Award. Early momentum drew on advocacy from associations including the Association for Library Service to Children and the Modern Language Association, and was shaped during deliberations at conferences in cities like Chicago, Illinois, New York City, and Washington, D.C.. Influences included earlier youth-focused prizes like the Michael L. Printz Award (established concurrently), echoing the legacy of figures associated with institutions such as Princeton University and organizations like the American Booksellers Association. Over successive decades the honor responded to shifts in publishing driven by houses such as Knopf, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Hachette Book Group USA.
Criteria and Selection Process
Titles are considered through nomination and review procedures administered by committees appointed by the Young Adult Library Services Association, drawing members from librarians affiliated with entities like the Public Library Association and academic institutions such as Columbia University, Syracuse University, and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Submission guidelines reference publication dates and eligibility requirements similar to those used by awards such as the Pura Belpré Award and the Sid Fleischman Award, and are evaluated against standards employed by juries in competitions like the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize (now The Booker Prize). Selection committees study manuscripts and published editions, consult catalogs from distributors including Ingram Content Group, and assess criteria such as literary merit, narrative craft, and contribution to young adult readerships, paralleling review practices used by panels for the Pulitzer Prize and the Kurt Maschler Award.
Winners and Honorees
Honors have been conferred annually since the program’s inception, producing rosters comparable in prominence to lists for the Printz Medal, the Carnegie Medal (literary award), and the Stonewall Book Award in their visibility among librarians and educators. Past honorees often appear on curated lists alongside recipients of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the ALA Notable Books for Children list, and the NPR Best Books selections. Publishers like Scholastic Corporation and imprints such as Atheneum Books and Bloomsbury Publishing frequently feature among winning and honored titles. Libraries in systems including the New York Public Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Library of Congress promote honored works in exhibits and reading programs.
Impact and Reception
The recognition affects sales patterns tracked by Nielsen BookScan, influences acquisition choices by collections at institutions like Harvard University and Yale University, and shapes curricula cited in syllabi at colleges such as Barnard College and Brown University. Critical reception often appears in outlets such as The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Publishers Weekly, with reviews comparing honored works to those recognized by the National Book Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Librarians and booksellers affiliated with organizations including the American Booksellers Association and the Association of American Publishers cite the honor as a factor in programming, collections, and literacy outreach in municipalities such as Seattle, Washington, Chicago, Illinois, and Austin, Texas.
Notable Recipients and Works
Recipients include authors whose careers intersect with awards like the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Edgar Award, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Prominent names among honorees and winners overlap with those associated with the Printz Medal and other major prizes: authors represented in this sphere include John Green, Jacqueline Woodson, Shaun Tan, Neil Gaiman, Alison Bechdel, E. Lockhart, Nnedi Okorafor, Angie Thomas, Raina Telgemeier, M. T. Anderson, Katherine Paterson, Ellen Hopkins, Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Boyne, E. L. Konigsburg, Louise Fitzhugh, Francesca Lia Block, Robin Benway, Gayle Forman, Chris Crutcher, Maggie Stiefvater, Sherman Alexie, S. E. Hinton, David Levithan, Lauren Myracle, Marcus Zusak, Ruth Ozeki, Philip Pullman, Cory Doctorow, Kazuo Ishiguro, Donna Tartt, Neil Strauss, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, Zadie Smith, Jonathan Safran Foer, Michael Chabon, Rebecca Stead, Lois Lowry, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Grant, Kiese Laymon, Adriana Trigiani.
Relationship to Other Awards
The honor functions within a constellation of literary recognitions that includes the Printz Medal, the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpré Award, and the Stonewall Book Award. Comparisons and cross-listings occur with prizes such as the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Man Booker International Prize, and regional distinctions like the Scottish Book Trust Awards. Libraries and publishers often present honored titles alongside winners of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Costa Book Awards in promotional contexts, while academic studies reference them in analyses that also cite winners of the Bram Stoker Award and the Hugo Award when discussing genre overlap.