Who proposed the Newbery Medal in 1921?

Frederic G. Melcher proposed the Newbery Medal in 1921.

Melcher was an editor and bookseller who argued that children’s literature deserved recognition comparable to poetry, drama, and adult fiction. On June 22, 1921, he presented the idea at an American Library Association meeting of the Children’s Librarians’ Section. He also suggested naming the award for John Newbery, the eighteenth-century English bookseller often called the first publisher of children’s books.

The proposal was enthusiastically received, and the ALA Executive Board formally approved it in 1922. The first medal was awarded that year to Hendrik Willem van Loon for The Story of Mankind, so van Loon is the first winner—not the person who proposed the award. René Paul Chambellan later designed the physical bronze medal, another common source of confusion.

The Newbery became the world’s first children’s book award. It is now administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, an ALA division, and honors distinguished contributions to American literature for children.