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Robert F. · 2026 · Winner
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
2026 Winner
Complete History
2020s
2010s
- 2019The Girl Who Drew Butterflies — Joyce Sidman
- 2018Twelve Days in May — Larry Dane Brimner
- 2017March Book Three — John Lewis
- 2016Funny Bones — Duncan Tonatiuh
- 2015The Right Word Bryant — Jen Bryant
- 2014Parrots Over Puerto Rico Roth — Susan L. Roth
- 2013Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon — Steve Sheinkin
- 2012Balloons Over Broadway — Melissa Sweet
- 2011Kakapo Rescue — Sy Montgomery
- 2010Almost Astronauts — Tanya Lee Stone
2000s
- 2009We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball — Kadir Nelson
- 2008The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain — Peter Sís
- 2007Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon — Catherine Thimmesh
- 2006Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley — Sally M. Walker
- 2005The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights — Russell Freedman
- 2004An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 — Jim Murphy
- 2003The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler — James Cross Giblin
- 2002Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 — Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- 2001Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado — Marc Aronson
About the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book for children. First awarded in 2001, the medal is named after Robert F. Sibert, long-time president of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., who made a substantial contribution to support the award. The Sibert Medal recognizes nonfiction picture books, illustrated informational texts, and narrative nonfiction for young readers that demonstrate accuracy, clarity, and excellence in presenting factual content in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Honor books are also named each year. The Sibert Medal has elevated the profile of children's nonfiction and inspired a generation of high-quality informational literature for young readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
- It is an annual award given by the ALSC to the most distinguished informational book published for children in the preceding year. The medal recognizes excellence in nonfiction, science, biography, history, and other informational genres for young readers.
- Robert F. Sibert was the long-time president of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., a company that provides library-bound books to children's libraries. His contributions to the children's library community were honored by naming this medal after him.
- Any informational book primarily intended for children through age 14, including nonfiction picture books, illustrated texts, biography, narrative nonfiction, and science books published in the United States during the eligibility year, is eligible.
- The first Sibert Medal was awarded in 2001 to Marc Aronson for Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado.
- A committee of ALSC members reviews eligible books throughout the year and votes to select the medal winner and honor books. The committee considers accuracy, organization, writing quality, and design in making its selections.
- Yes. Nonfiction picture books that meet the highest standards of informational content and artistic presentation are fully eligible. Many Sibert Medal winners and honor books have been picture books.
- The Sibert Medal is announced as part of the ALA Youth Media Awards, typically in late January at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, alongside the Caldecott, Newbery, and other major children's book awards.