Booker Prize Foundation Launches £50,000 Children's Fiction Award From 2027

The Booker Prize Foundation has announced the launch of the Children’s Booker Prize, a new literary award set to celebrate contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years. Supported by the AKO Foundation, the prize will be awarded annually starting in 2027, with submissions opening in spring 2026. The prize aims to engage and grow a new generation of readers by recognizing outstanding children's fiction written or translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The inaugural judging panel will be chaired by the UK’s Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and will include both adult and child judges, emphasizing a collaborative selection process. Each shortlisted author will receive £2,500, with the winner receiving £50,000, which will be shared equally with translators or illustrators where applicable. Additionally, the foundation plans to donate at least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books to young readers to promote literacy and reading enjoyment among children.