Booker Prize Foundation Launches Children's Literary Award with £50,000 Prize

The Booker Prize Foundation has announced a major new literary award, the Children's Booker Prize, to recognize outstanding fiction written for readers aged 8-12. The award, which will launch in 2026 and be decided by a mixed panel of adult and child judges, aims to boost children's reading for pleasure, which has reached its lowest level in 20 years. The prize will gift 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning books to children annually and is supported by partners including the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency.

Key Takeaways:

• The Children's Booker Prize will offer £50,000 for the best fiction written for readers aged 8-12, with a shortlist selection by a panel of adult judges and a final decision by a panel of child judges.
• The inaugural chair of judges will be Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the current children's laureate, who will be joined by two other adult judges.
• The prize will be decided by a mixed panel of adult and child judges, a first for a Booker award.
• The Booker Prize Foundation will gift 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning books to children each year, working with partners including the National Literacy Trust, The Reading Agency, Bookbanks, and the Children's Book Project.
• The initiative aims to boost children's reading for pleasure, which has reached its lowest level in 20 years, according to reports.
• The prize will celebrate contemporary children's fiction written in or translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
• Shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500, and the winner will receive £50,000.
• The inaugural Children's Booker Prize will open for submissions in spring 2026, with the shortlist and child judges announced in November that year.

Statistics:

• 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning books will be gifted to children annually.
• The prize will have a £50,000 purse for the winning author.
• £2,500 will be awarded to each shortlisted author.
• The prize will cover books published between 1 November 2025 and 31 October 2026.
• The first winner of the prize will be announced in early 2027.
• The prize will run in partnership with the AKO Foundation, a grant-making charity focused on improving education, supporting the arts, and tackling the climate emergency.

Sources:

• "The Booker Prize Foundation has announced a major new literary award, the Children's Booker Prize, to recognize outstanding fiction written for readers aged 8-12."

- The Booker Prize Foundation.

• "The award, which will launch in 2026 and be decided by a mixed panel of adult and child judges, aims to boost children's reading for pleasure, which has reached its lowest level in 20 years."

- The Booker Prize Foundation.

• "The prize will gift 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning books to children annually and is supported by partners including the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency."

- The Booker Prize Foundation.

• "The evidence linking reading for pleasure to improved educational outcomes and greater social mobility is compelling."

- Philip Lawford, Chief Executive, AKO Foundation.

• "The goal was not only to reward excellence in children's writing but to help more young people 'discover stories and characters that will keep them company for life.'"

- Gaby Wood, Chief Executive, The Booker Prize Foundation.