The Margaret A. Edwards Award, established in 1988, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.

2011

Sir Terry Prachett is the recipient of the 2011 Margaret A. Edwards Award,  honoring his significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens for the following nine titles: THE AMAZING MAURICE AND HIS EDUCATED RODENTS, THE WEE FREE MEN, A HAT FULL OF SKY, GOING POSTAL, THE COLOUR OF MAGIC, GUARDS! GUARDS!, EQUAL RIGHTS, MORT and SMALL GODS.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 for services to literature, Pratchett published his first short story when he was 13. A resident of Somerset, England, Pratchett has one daughter, a wife, and many cats. He has published more than 50 books and his works have been translated into 36 languages.

Pratchett’s tales of Discworld have won over generations of teen readers with intelligence, heart and undeniable wit. Comic adventures that fondly mock the fantasy genre, the Discworld novels expose the hypocrisies of contemporary society in an intricate, ever-expanding universe. With satisfyingly multilayered plots, Pratchett’s humor honors the intelligence of the reader. Teens eagerly lose themselves in a universe with no maps.

Prachett will be honored at the YALSA Edwards Award Luncheon and presented with a citation and cash prize of $2,000 during the 2011 ALA Annual Conference to be held in New Orleans, June 23-28.