The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. Founded in 1922, it is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published the previous year. It, alongside the Caldecott Medal, are the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States.
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newbery