American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) announces the 2026 Youth Media Award winners. 

Below are a few of books we have in our catalog that are winners.

(click on book title image for a title peek)

A gold medal featuring three engraved faces and the text Pura Belpré Award at the top. © American Library Association.

2026 Pura Belpré

Pura Belpré Awards

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate, and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of the American Library Association (ALA).

Belpré Young Adult Author Award

ya silenced voices
A gold and black circular seal with a large M in the center, surrounded by rays and the words William C. Morris Debut Award, American Library Association, Winner.

2026 William C. Morris Award

William C. Morris Award

The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The award is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.

The award’s namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults. Bill Morris left an impressive mark on the field of children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for promoting literature for children and teens.

William C. Morris Award Finalists

ya first love language

ya you and me on repeat