Get ready for a literary revolution! The Booker Prize Foundation has just dropped a major announcement: the creation of the Children's Booker Prize, an exciting new award that's set to shake up the world of children's fiction.
This prize is a game-changer, marking the first significant new award from the Foundation in two decades. With the support of the AKO Foundation, it's all about celebrating the very best stories for young readers aged 8 to 12. And the best part? The inaugural winner will be crowned in just a few years, in February 2027.
The £50,000 prize will shine a spotlight on books written in or translated into English, published in the UK or Ireland. Shortlisted authors will each receive a well-deserved £2,500. But here's where it gets interesting: the judging panel is a unique blend of three adult judges and three child judges. This ensures that the young readers themselves have a direct say in choosing the winner. And instead of the traditional Booker Prize format, the shortlist will feature a diverse selection of eight books.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the UK's current Children's Laureate, will lead the inaugural judging panel. The eligibility period for the first award runs from November 1, 2025, to October 31, 2026, with submissions opening in the spring of 2026.
Joseph Coelho, the Children's Laureate from 2022 to 2024, couldn't be more thrilled about this development. He says, "I'm incredibly excited by the announcement of the Children's Booker Prize. It's a brilliant initiative to engage children with the world of words through a celebration of books, authors, and illustrators. I fully support a robust prize that gives children's literature the recognition it deserves, and one that truly values the voice of the child."
But the Children's Booker Prize isn't just about recognition. It's about putting books directly into the hands of young readers. At least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning titles will be gifted to children, addressing concerns about declining reading rates among young people in the UK, which are reportedly at their lowest in 20 years.
The announcement, made on October 24, 2025, couldn't have come at a better time. The UK is gearing up for its National Year of Reading in 2026, and at the launch event, novelist Penelope Lively, the only person to have won both the Booker Prize and the Carnegie Medal for children's literature, delivered an inspiring keynote speech.
The Children's Booker Prize is a significant investment in the future of children's literature. It brings the prestige and reach of the Booker name to stories that have the power to shape young minds and ignite their imaginations.
So, what do you think about this exciting new prize? Is it a step in the right direction for children's literature? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
