Which newspaper awarded The Hobbit a prize for best juvenile fiction?

The New York Herald Tribune awarded The Hobbit a prize for best juvenile fiction. The award recognized Tolkien’s 1937 children’s fantasy novel during the early burst of critical enthusiasm that followed its publication.

The prize helped confirm that The Hobbit was being received as an outstanding children’s book rather than merely as an obscure work of mythology. Reviews in both Britain and the United States praised its mixture of humor, adventure, invented history, and memorable characters. The story follows Bilbo Baggins as he travels with Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves toward the Lonely Mountain, where they hope to reclaim their homeland from Smaug.

The newspaper’s name can be confused with other influential publications that reviewed or discussed the novel, including The Times and the New York Post. Those publications contributed to the book’s reputation, but the juvenile-fiction prize was specifically associated with the New York Herald Tribune. The award was for the 1938 season, even though the novel first appeared in 1937.