The first Newbery Medal was awarded in 1922.
The medal was established by the American Library Association in 1921 after a proposal from Frederic G. Melcher, an editor at Publishers Weekly. It was named for John Newbery, the eighteenth-century English publisher often associated with the beginnings of children’s literature. The award was designed to recognize the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
The inaugural 1922 medal went to Hendrik Willem van Loon for The Story of Mankind, a nonfiction history of Western civilization. Because the award recognized books published during the preceding year, the 1922 award generally considered books published in 1921. That publication-year and award-year distinction explains why some references mention both dates.
The Newbery Medal is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the ALA. It is often discussed alongside the Caldecott Medal, which honors distinguished American picture-book illustration. The Newbery recognizes the author, while the Caldecott recognizes the illustrator.