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The Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Named for John Newbery (pictured), an 18th-century English publisher of juvenile books, the winner of the Newbery is selected at the ALA's Midwinter Conference by a fifteen-person committee. The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the next ALA annual conference. Besides the Newbery Medal, the committee awards a variable number of citations to leading contenders, called Newbery Honors or Newbery Honor Books; until 1971, these books were called runners-up. To be eligible, a book must be written by a United States citizen or resident and must be published first or simultaneously in the United States in English during the preceding year. Six authors have won two Newbery Medals each. As of 2019[update], the most recent winner is Meg Medina for Merci Suárez Changes Gears. (Full list...)