The medal considered the Newbery’s major U.S. companion award for children’s book illustration is the Caldecott Medal.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year. It is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, the same American Library Association division that administers the Newbery Medal.
The two awards were created through the influence of Frederic G. Melcher and are commonly presented as a pair: the Newbery recognizes literary contribution, while the Caldecott recognizes artistic contribution in picture books. That distinction matters because the Newbery is not simply an illustration prize, and the Caldecott is not awarded to every beautifully illustrated children’s title.
A common mix-up is the Sibert Medal, which honors distinguished informational books, and the Belpré Medal, which recognizes Latino/Latina authors and illustrators. The Printz Award is instead for excellence in young adult literature.