As
timothyf noted in "
Newbery award" (
sic), the Newbery Medal is an annual award given to the author of the best contribution to American children's literature.
A related award, the Caldecott Medal, is given annually to the best illustrator of a children's book published in the past year.
A list of award-winning books and authors is available at http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html.