NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature facts for kids

Quick facts for kids NSK Prize
NSK Prize silver medallion
Presented by	World Literature Today and the University of Oklahoma
Country	United States
First awarded	2003; 22 years ago (2003)

The NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature is a special international award. It celebrates amazing writers of children's books. This prize started in 2003. It is given out every two years by a magazine called World Literature Today.

(From left to right) Susan Neustadt Schwartz, Kathy Neustadt, author Nii Parkes, and Nancy Barcelo in 2015. The first letters of sisters Nancy, Susan, and Kathy make up the NSK of the prize name.

The NSK Prize is connected to another award, the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Three sisters, Nancy Barcelo, Kathy Neustadt, and Susan Neustadt Schwartz, created this award. They wanted to make children's books even better. Their goal was to honor writers whose work helps improve the lives of children.

This award is unique because it looks at all the books a writer has ever written. It's not just for one book. The main idea is how much a writer's work has helped children's literature. Only living writers can win this prize. The Neustadt family wanted this award to be different from others. So, there are no rules about the age of the readers, the type of story, or how the story is presented.

A group of experts chooses the winner. This group, called a jury, includes writers, illustrators, and people who study children's books. They first suggest writers for the award. Then, they pick the final winner. The person who wins gets $35,000. They also receive a silver medal and a special certificate. This happens at a public event at the University of Oklahoma.

NSK Prize Winners

Many talented writers have won the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. Here is a list of the winners since the award began: