The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Irma Black Award) goes to an outstanding book for young children—a book in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole. The Irma Black Award is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book.
Thousands of children in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United Arab Emirates will participate in the voting process in 2026. We will share links to videos from the gold and silver medalists on this page in late May.
 Worm Makes a Sandwich |
 The Peanut Man |
 Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet |
 Don’t Trust Fish |
Honor Books