The organisers behind the prestigious Booker Prize have announced a new prize under their umbrella, this time for children’s fiction. The Children’s Booker Prize, which will launch in 2026 and be awarded yearly from 2027, will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children between the ages of eight and twelve.
UK Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Millions) will be the prize’s inaugural chair of judges and he will be joined by a panel of both adult and child judges to determine the first-ever winner of the prize.
Gaby Wood, executive director of the Booker Foundation, said it wants “to hear the views of the ultimate judges of the quality of children’s fiction: children themselves.”
Cottrell-Boyce said: “I am absolutely buzzing about the news that I’m going to be chairing the judging panel. It’s going to be – as they say – absolute scenes in there. Let the yelling commence.”
Cottrell-Boyce and two other adult judges will select a shortlist of eight books. Then, three children will join them to help choose the winning book.
In line with prizes for the Booker and International Booker Prize, the shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500 and the winning author £50,000. The prize will accept submissions from publishers in spring 2026, when the remaining two adult judges will also be announced.
The shortlist, and three child judges will be announced later in the year in November, with the winner being announced at an event for young readers in February 2027. At least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books will also be gifted to children to “inspire more young people to read,” said Wood.
The prize will be open to global authors for books written originally in English and for those translated into English, as long as they are published in the UK or Ireland between 1 November 2025 and 31 October 2026.
News of the Children’s Booker Prize comes at a time when children’s reading for pleasure is reportedly at its lowest in 20 years, according to the National Literary Trust.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Cottrell-Boyce said he thinks the Prize “is going to make a big difference”.
“This prize will make books more available for a lot of kids.”
Gaby Wood, added: “The Children’s Booker Prize is the most ambitious endeavour we’ve embarked on in 20 years – and we hope its impact will resonate for decades to come.”
