Awards
You do exceptional things in the classroom every single day. NCTE is here to recognize them.
NCTE Children’s Book and Poetry Awards
The Orbis Pictus Award
The Orbis Pictus Award®, established in 1989, is the oldest children’s book award for nonfiction. The name Orbis Pictus commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius: Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures (1657), considered to be the first book actually planned for children.
2025 Winner: Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools by Dan SaSuWeh Jones (Scholastic Focus)
The Charlotte Huck Award
The Charlotte Huck Award® was established in 2014 to promote and recognize fiction that has the potential to transform children’s lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder.
2025 Winner: The Last Stand by Antwan Eady, illustrated by Jarrett & Jerome Pumphrey (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children
NCTE established the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1977 to honor a living American poet for their aggregate work for children ages 3-13. NCTE also recognizes and fosters excellence in children’s poetry by encouraging its publication and by exploring ways to acquaint teachers and children with poetry through such means as publications, programs, and displays.
2025 Winner: Charles R. Smith Jr.
Children's Book Award Nomination Form
NCTE members can submit titles for the Charlotte Huck Award for fiction, the Orbis Pictus Award for non-fiction or the Notable Children's Poetry Books and Verse Novels list. Nominations accepted until October 15 each year. Authors and publishers should email bookawards@ncte.org for more information about submitting. Please include the book(s) title, author, publisher, and publication date in your request.
Please press submit once. It may take a moment for your entry to register.