Children's Booker Prize 2027 launches competition for three child judges

The adult judging panel for the Children's Booker Prize 2027 has been announced, together with the launch of a UK-wide competition for children to become a judge for the children's prize.

Until now, the Booker Prize hasn't included children's books but its entry into this field will be supported by child judges, book donations and research into children's reading for pleasure.

The new annual Children's Booker Prize will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years, written in or translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The first winner will be announced on 2 February 2027. The shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500 and the winning author £50,000.

Children's Booker Prize 2027 judges, L-R, Lolly Adefope, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar (c) Booker Prize Foundation

Award-winning children's book author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who is the current Waterstones Children's Laureate and the inaugural chair of judges for the prize, is joined on the judging panel for the Children's Booker Prize by actor, writer and comedian Lolly Adefope and award-winning children's bookseller and owner of the Children's Bookshop in Muswell Hill, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar. 

The prize will be judged by a mixed panel of adult and child judges. Cottrell-Boyce, Adefope and Basu De Sarkar will select a shortlist of eight books to be announced on 24 November, and three UK-based child judges, aged eight to 12 years, will join the adults in choosing the winning book.

Applying to be a child judge

The competition to find the three child judges is open on the Booker Prizes website with entries invited from parents, carers and educators on behalf of their children, pupils and young people. In the online form, children are asked to share why they would like to be a Children's Booker Prize judge and to answer questions about books and reading.

Entries for the first round close on Tuesday, 2 June 2026 and full details of the selection process are outlined on the Booker Prizes website. The three child judges will be announced alongside the shortlist on Tuesday, 24 November.

Cottrell-Boyce explained: "Whether you've read one book this year or a hundred; whether you love comic books or big thick chapter books; books with loads of pictures, books with no pictures; it doesn't matter, YOU could be exactly the judge that we're looking for."

Speaking about the winner judging day, he added, 'We will get together for a special judging day, when we'll argue and laugh and eat loads of snacks and decide which is the very best. And then we'll have picked the winner. If you love reading and you love talking about books you would be perfect to be a Children's Booker Prize judge." Watch Frank Cottrell-Boyce's video.

What's involved in being a child judge?

The successful child entrants will each get: the eight shortlisted books to read and keep; a judges' medal; a trip to London for a fun day choosing the winner with the adult judges; a bespoke portrait by Beano illustrator Nigel Parkinson; a Beano comic strip capturing their judging experience; and another trip to London for the ceremony at Young V&A, which will feature a red carpet with VIP guests, entertainment stations, and the chance to present the winner/s their trophy on stage.

The aims of the prize

The Booker Prizes have have been running for over 55 years and the Children's Booker Prize is the first major new prize from the Booker Prize Foundation in two decades, since the launch of the International Booker Prize in 2005.

The prize is being launched at a time when children's reading for pleasure is reportedly at its lowest in 20 years, and as the UK government's National Year of Reading is underway to help more people (re)discover the joy of reading.

At least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books will be gifted to children who need them the most, ensuring that more children can read and own the world's best fiction. The founding partner and principal funder of the Children's Booker Prize is AKO Foundation, a grant-giving charitable foundation focused on supporting charities that improve education and the wellbeing of young people, promote the arts, and combat the climate emergency.

Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, said, "This new prize is underpinned by a social mission: to create future generations of lifelong readers. We feel confident that we can enthuse children if we are armed with the very best. By 'best', we mean books that readers will love, books that can be read over and over again or enjoyed just once. Books that contain great characters, emotion, wit, action, adventure, imagination, magic. Books that take readers to other places - in the world, in their minds or in their hearts."

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children's Laureate and Chair of judges, added, "Having children at the judging table will turn the prize into a national reading party (one of the joys of reading is arguing about books!). And - maybe most of all - gifting thousands of copies of the nominated titles will open the door to that party and say, come on in, this is for you."

Winner announcement and partners

The winner of the Children's Booker Prize 2027 will be announced at an event at the Young V&A on Tuesday, 2 February 2027 as a high-profile celebration of books for young readers featuring exciting activities in the museum's inspiring spaces, as well as the announcement of the first winner of the prize. A livestream of the ceremony will ensure schools across the UK can join in with the celebrations.

The prize is also partnering with comic Beano, celebrating the shortlisted books and the child judging experience in the magazine, as well as creating lesson plan content via Beano for Schools. The Booker Prize Foundation has been working with Beano Brain, specialists in kids and youth insight, consulting children on the development of the Children's Booker Prize, including co-creation sessions with eight to 12 year olds. It will also be working with the National Literacy Trust to measure longer term trends in children's reading.

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