The Educational Book and Media Association (EBMA) is pleased to announce that the 2026 Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement will be presented to Jacqueline Woodson in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to literature for young people. Named after EBMA’s founder, the Ludington Award celebrates outstanding creators whose work has had a lasting and transformative impact on the educational book world.
The award will be presented on Monday, January 25, 2027, during the EBMA Annual Meeting at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jacqueline Woodson is the author of more than 40 books for children, adolescents, and adults, and is widely regarded as one of the most important voices in contemporary literature. She is best known for her National Book Award-winning memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, and Newbery Honor titles including After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers, and Show Way. She served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017 and was later named the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2018 to 2019. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2020 and was named a MacArthur Fellow that same year. Currently, she is working with Listening Library to create new audiobook recordings of her beloved stories. Her forthcoming book, Carry the Quiet, will be published in January 2027.
Through a body of work that spans formats and generations, Jacqueline Woodson has consistently offered stories that are both intimate and expansive -- stories that affirm the lives, voices, and experiences of young people too often unheard. Her writing invites honest conversations about identity, belonging, justice, and hope, reflecting a deep respect for the emotional and intellectual lives of children and teens. Her enduring impact on young readers and on the professionals who connect those readers with books, perfectly embodies the spirit of the Ludington Award.
As part of the award, EBMA will present a $2,000 donation to the book-related charity of Ms. Woodson’s choice.
