The American Library Association announced Monday that the first Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence, given for the year's best adult fiction and nonfiction, will be awarded when the association meets in June for its annual conference.
Each winning author receives $5,000, with the prizes funded by the Carnegie Corporation.
The first selection committee will be chaired by NPR commentator and former librarian Nancy Pearl.
The ALA has long sponsored the John Newbery medal, for best children's story, and the Randolph Caldecott medal, for best illustration.
