The book must be written in English and by American authors only. Committee members judge the books based on the quality of the plot, the accuracy of the book, setting of the book and its appropriateness for children.
You will need to send a copy of your children's book to the Association for Library Service to Children, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. You will also have to send an additional copy to the award committee chairperson. Since there is a new chair each year, you can find the mailing address online at the American Library Association's website.
The Newbery Medal was the first established children's book award in the world and one of the best-known children's book awards in the country. In addition, Newbery Medal-winning books have been used in classrooms and often as part of thesis papers and doctoral dissertations.
Members of the award committee are usually selected to join and they must follow specific guidelines. For example, members cannot be on the committee if they published a book that may be considered for an award during the time they serve on the committee. In addition, members cannot serve if they are related to an author whose book could be considered for the award.
Author Virginia Hamilton was the first African-American Newbery Medal Award winner. She won in 1975 for the book "M.C. Higgins the Great," a book about a young African-American boy who comes of age. In 1970, the movie "Sounder" was released and it starred Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson. It was based on a Newbery Award-winning book of the same name by author William H. Armstrong. The book was about a black sharecropping family in 1930s Louisiana.