What term replaced “runners-up” for Newbery citations in 1971?

The term that replaced “runners-up” for Newbery citations in 1971 was “Newbery Honor.”

The Newbery Medal was established in 1922 by the American Library Association to recognize the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Besides selecting one Medal winner, the committee could identify other leading books. Before 1971, those books were commonly described as runners-up.

In 1971, the designation “Newbery Honor” was introduced, and earlier runners-up were recognized retroactively as Newbery Honor Books. The change gave these books a formal status rather than making them sound like unsuccessful finalists. A year can have multiple Honor Books, while the Medal itself normally goes to one title.

The wording can cause confusion because “Newbery Honor” applies to a book, while the author receives the recognition. It also does not mean the book won the Medal. For example, *Kneeknock Rise*, *Enchantress from the Stars* and *Sing Down the Moon* were among the 1971 Newbery Honor Books, while Betsy Byars’s *Summer of the Swans* won the Medal.