Booker Prize Foundation to launch first children’s award

The Booker Prize Foundation announced Friday the creation of the Children’s Booker Prize, its first award dedicated to children’s fiction in the organization’s history, with submissions opening in spring 2026 and the inaugural winner to be announced in February 2027whec.
The new prize will award £50,000 ($67,000) to celebrate outstanding contemporary fiction for children aged 8 to 12, matching the prize money of the original Booker Prize, and will be open to works written in English or translated and published in the U.K. or Irelandwhec.
An unprecedented judging panel will select winners, consisting of three children alongside three adults and led by writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Britain’s current Children’s Laureate, who said he was “buzzing” about having children help choose the winnerswhec.
The initiative aims to address declining childhood reading rates and inspire future generations of readers, with the Booker Prize Foundation and publishers planning to distribute at least 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning titles to children annuallywhec.
The AKO Foundation, a London-based charity focused on education and youth welfare, has committed to funding the prize for its initial three yearstheglobeandmail.

Booker Prize Foundation Launches First Children’s Literary Award

The prestigious Booker Prize Foundation announced Friday its most ambitious endeavor in two decades: the creation of the Children’s Booker Prize, marking the first time the renowned literary institution has dedicated an award specifically to children’s fiction. The new prize will offer £50,000 to celebrate outstanding contemporary fiction for children aged 8-12, with submissions opening in spring 2026 and the inaugural winner to be announced in February 2027.whec

The initiative comes as childhood reading rates have plummeted to historic lows. According to the National Literacy Trust’s 2025 report, only one in three children aged 8-18 say they enjoy reading in their free time — a 36% decline since 2005. Daily reading has fallen even more dramatically, with just 18.7% of children reading something every day, marking a nearly 20-percentage-point drop over the past two decades.lovereading4kids

Unique Judging Panel Includes Child Voices

The Children’s Booker Prize will feature an unprecedented judging structure, combining three children and three adults to select the winner. Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Britain’s current Children’s Laureate and author of the Carnegie Medal-winning “Millions,” will chair the inaugural panel.theglobeandmail

“It’s going to be – as they say – absolute scenes in there. Let the yelling commence,” Cottrell-Boyce said of the mixed judging panel. “Every child deserves the chance to experience the happiness that diving into a great book can bring”.independent

The foundation will also distribute 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning titles annually, working with publishers and the National Literacy Trust to ensure broad access to quality children’s literature.theglobeandmail

Addressing a Growing Crisis

The award aims to tackle what experts describe as a literacy crisis affecting young readers. Dame Jacqueline Wilson, the beloved author behind “The Story of Tracy Beaker,” praised the initiative as addressing an urgent need. “Now, more than ever, children’s books need a huge boost. It’s so dismaying that only 30% of today’s children enjoy reading for pleasure,” Wilson said.independent

The decline has been particularly pronounced among boys and children from lower-income families, with the gender gap in reading enjoyment widening to 13.4 percentage points in 2025.lovereading4kids

Gaby Wood, CEO of the Booker Prize Foundation, described the Children’s Booker Prize as “not just a prize – it’s part of a movement” designed to inspire future generations of readers. The AKO Foundation, a London-based charity focused on education and youth welfare, has committed to funding the prize for its initial three years.theglobeandmail