Margaret A. Edwards Award

Policies and Procedures

1. NAME OF AWARD: MARGARET A. EDWARDS AWARD
2. JUSTIFICATION: ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), on behalf of librarians who work with young adults in all types of libraries, will give recognition to those authors whose book or books have provided young adults with a window through which they can view their world and which will help them to grow and to understand themselves and their role in society.
3. TERMS: The award will be given annually to an author whose book or books, over a period of time, have been accepted by young adults as an authentic voice that continues to illuminate their experiences and emotions, giving insight into their lives. The book or books should enable them to understand themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationship with others and with society. The book or books must be in print at the time of the nomination.
4. DEFINITIONS:
   • "Author" may be an individual or a co-author. The author must be living at the time of the nomination. In the case of co-authors, one must be living. If an author continues to write books of interest and appeal to young adults then he or she may receive more than once as warranted, as long as it is not more frequently than every six years.
   • "Book or books" indicates either a title or titles written specifically for young adults, or those titles written for adults which continue to be requested and read by young adults. The title or titles must be in-print at the time of nomination. Only those titles of an author's work which meet the criteria of the award will be cited.
   • "Over a period of time" means that the book or books must have been published in the United States no less than five years prior to the first meeting of the current Margaret A. Edwards Award Committee at the Midwinter Meeting. The five year period is stipulated so that the book or books have had enough time to filter down, i.e., reach a wide level of distribution, and to be accepted by young adults.
   • "Continues to illuminate their experiences and emotions" means that the book or books have become a literary cornerstone for young adults.
5. CRITERIA: The committee making its selection of nominees must be aware of the entire range of books for young adults and will take into account the following:
   • a. Does the book(s) help adolescents to become aware of themselves and to answer their questions about their role and importance in relationships, society and in the world?
   • b. Is the book(s) of acceptable literary quality?
   • c. Does the book(s) satisfy the curiosity of young adults and yet help them thoughtfully to build a philosophy of life?
   • d. Is the book(s) currently popular with a wide range of young adults in many different parts of the country.
   • e. Do the book or book(s) serve as a "window to the world" for young adults?
6. DONOR AND FORM: School Library Journal is the award's donor and will fund the award and administrative cost. The recipient will receive a cash prize of $1,000 plus an appropriate citation.
7. PRESENTATION: The award (cash prize and citation) will be presented to the winning author at the YALSA luncheon or other gala affair to be held during the ALA Annual Conference. The author will be required to attend the event to accept the award and to make a short acceptance speech.
8. SELECTION: A committee of five, including the chair, will be responsible for the final selection of the recipient of the Award. Input may be solicited from the field, including librarians and young adults, but the selection will be made by the committee. Input should be received by the chair of the committee by June 1st. The selection of the winner award will be made at the ALA Midwinter Meeting preceding the Annual Conference at which the award is to be presented.
9. ADMINISTRATION: The five year member selection committee will serve a two-year term. A new committee will be charged with the selection of the recipient for each annual award. Two members of the committee will be appointed by the YALSA Vice-President and three members will be elected from names placed on the YALSA ballot. The chair of the committee will be appointed by the Vice-President from among the five members. This appointment will take place immediately after the result are known. The committee for the 1990 award will be appointed and elected in the spring of 1988. The selection of the committee for the 1992 award will be appointed and elected in the spring of 1990. This pattern will continue. Committee members are not eligible for consecutive reappointment but they can stand for election to the subsequent committee.

Revised by the YALSA Board of Directors, January, 1996