Award Overview
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Distinguished is defined as:
- Marked by eminence and distinction; noted for significant achievement.
- Marked by excellence in quality.
- Marked by conspicuous excellence or eminence.
- Individually distinct.
In identifying a “distinguished American picture book for children,” defined as illustration, committee members need to consider:
- Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed;
- Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or concept;
- Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme or concept;
- Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or information through the pictures;
- Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience.
The committee should keep in mind that the award is for distinguished illustrations in a picture book and for excellence of pictorial presentation for children. The award is not for didactic intent or for popularity.
Voting Rules for Caldecott
- Committee members list first, second, and third place votes for the award in an online tool created by the Awards Coordinator and sent to the Chair for distribution.
- In tabulating ballot results, the online tool will assign four points to each first-place vote, three points to each second-place vote, and two points to each third-place vote.
- A specific formula is used to determine the winner. A book must receive at least eight first-choice votes at four points each for a total of at least thirty-two points, and it must have an eight-point lead over the book receiving the next highest number of points.
Kansas City Mock Book Awards 