A major new award celebrating the best contemporary fiction for children has been announced today. The Children’s Booker Prize, supported by the AKO Foundation, will recognise outstanding books written for readers aged eight to 12 — works either originally written in English or translated into it, and published in the UK and Ireland.
The new prize, offering a £50,000 award, aims to “engage and grow a new generation of readers” by championing the best of children’s fiction from around the world. Submissions will open in spring 2026, with a shortlist of eight books revealed next November. The winner will be announced in February 2027.
In a move that organisers describe as “the most ambitious endeavour we’ve embarked on in 20 years,” Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, said:
“It aims to be several things at once: an award that will champion future classics written for children; a social intervention designed to inspire more young people to read; and a seed from which we hope future generations of lifelong readers will grow.”
Wood added:
“In other words, the Children’s Booker Prize is not just a prize – it’s part of a movement: a cause that children, parents, carers, teachers and everyone in the world of storytelling can get behind.”
Uniquely, the award will be judged by a mixed panel of adults and children. The inaugural chair will be author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, currently the UK Children’s Laureate, joined by two adult judges to select the shortlist. Three child judges, recruited with the help of schools and partners from the culture and entertainment sectors, will then help choose the winner, giving young readers a direct voice in deciding which book takes the prize.
Cottrell-Boyce said he was “absolutely buzzing” to chair the first panel:
“Every child deserves the chance to experience the happiness that diving into a great book can bring. The Children’s Booker Prize will make it easier for children to find the book that speaks to them.
“By inviting them to the judging table, and by gifting copies of the nominated books, it will bring thousands more children into the wonderful world of reading. It’s going to be – as they say – absolute scenes in there. Let the yelling commence.”
At least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books will be distributed to ensure more children can own and read the world’s best fiction.
The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for children’s reading in the UK. Recent research has shown reading for pleasure among children has dropped to its lowest point in two decades. The launch of the prize coincides with plans by the government and the National Literacy Trust to designate 2026 as the National Year of Reading, aimed at revitalising the nation’s reading culture.
Readers can find more information — and see reactions from beloved children’s authors including Malorie Blackman, Joseph Coelho, Cressida Cowell, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson — at the official website (HERE).
