Schneider Family Book Award

91´«Ã½

The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Click here or read on to learn more about the history and criteria of the Schneider Family Book Award



A circular medallion in blue and silver. In the center, children hold hands and encircle a small world, all in silver. Words at the top read "Schneider Family Book Award" in silver script, and repeated in silver Braille at the bottom.

About

Year Began: 2004

History of the Schneider Family Book Award

Dr. Katherine Schneider and her family endowed this 91´«Ã½ Award in 2003. Cheryl Malden was the 91´«Ã½ awards liaison tasked to form a Jury and to establish the criteria for the award. In its first year, the Jury selected three winners in early 2004 to be honored at the 91´«Ã½ Awards presentation at 91´«Ã½ Annual. The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) staff liaison arranged for the President of 91´«Ã½ to announce the 2005 Schneider Award winners at the 91´«Ã½ Youth Media Award Press Conference where all 91´«Ã½ children’s literature awards are officially announced. 

The Schneider Family Book Award recognizes three categories for recognition: Younger Children (ages 4-8), Middle Grade (ages 9-13), and Young Adult (ages 14-18). Awards are presented to English language works published the year prior to the announcement date. The award is announced in January/February and presented to the winning authors or editors at the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in June. The award winners each receive a commemorative plaque and $5,000. If a winning title features both an author and an illustrator, the $5,000 will be divided equally between the creators. Honor titles also receive a commemorative plaque from 91´«Ã½. 

Suggest a title to the Schneider Family Book Awards Jury

The application period for 2025 Schneider Family Book Award submissions is now closed. Use this link to submit titles for the Younger Children, Middle Grade, or Young Adult Category. Upon review and confirmation of eligibility, a member of the SFBA Jury will contact you with where to send copies of the book for jury review. 

Anyone may suggest a title to the Schneider Family Book Awards Jury for consideration. Books must be published in English and the award can be given posthumously. However, the publisher of a proposed title, agents or representatives of the author, or anyone else who may stand to gain directly from the nomination of the book should disclose this information via the form below. All suggestions must be submitted by the deadline of December 1st. Books themselves must also be received by December 1st. If a book will be published after December 1st but before December 31st, the jury may accept a galley copy or an eBook.

Eligibility

The title must feature a main or secondary character with a disability and must portray disability as part of a full life, and information on disability must be accurate. For full criteria, please refer to the Schneider Family Book Award Manual and criteria shared in the Application Information section below. 

For information regarding the Schneider Family Book Awards (including the awards ceremony and promotional material), please contact the 91´«Ã½ Governance Office at governance@ala.org. 

 

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Frequency: Annual

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