Organisers of the prestigious Booker Prize have announced the creation of a new award dedicated to celebrating children’s fiction. The new honour, called The Children’s Booker Prize, will officially launch in 2026, with the first award ceremony scheduled for 2027.

The prize will recognise outstanding works of contemporary fiction written for children aged between eight and twelve. It will follow a unique judging process that includes both adult and child judges.

UK Children’s Laureate and celebrated author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, known for his 2004 bestseller Millions, has been appointed as the inaugural chair of judges for the 2027 edition. Expressing his excitement, he 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 will work alongside two other adult judges to select a shortlist of eight books. Three children will later join the panel to help decide the overall winner.

Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, described the new prize as a milestone project for the organisation. "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," she said.

In line with its mission to promote reading among young people, at least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books will be distributed to children. Wood added that the award seeks to “champion future classics” and “inspire more young people to read.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Cottrell-Boyce said he believes the prize “is going to make a big difference.” He noted that it will help make books more accessible to children and “really ignite a conversation.”

The announcement has been met with widespread praise from prominent authors and former Children’s Laureates. Dame Jacqueline Wilson described the initiative as “a marvellous idea,” while fellow author Anne Fine commented that “when it comes to book prizes, we all say, The More The Merrier – especially when it comes to writing for children, which has all too often been the overlooked Cinderella of the book world.”

Similar to the existing Booker and International Booker Prizes, shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500, while the overall winner will take home £50,000.

Publishers will be able to submit entries from spring 2026, when the remaining two adult judges will also be announced. The shortlist and the three child judges will be revealed in November 2026, with the first winner to be announced in February 2027 at an event for young readers.

The prize will be open to both original English works and translations, provided the books are published in the UK or Ireland between November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026.

The launch of the Children’s Booker Prize comes at a time when children’s reading for pleasure has fallen to its lowest level in two decades. The National Literacy Trust has responded by declaring 2026 as the National Year of Reading, aimed at rekindling the nation’s love for books.

The prize, to be awarded annually from 2027 and supported by AKO Foundation, will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old

The inaugural £50,000 award for children’s fiction will open for submissions in spring 2026, with the shortlist of eight books announced in November 2026. The winner, to be announced in February 2027, will be selected by a combined panel of child and adult judges, chaired by the UK’s Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce. At least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books will be gifted to ensure more children can own and read the world’s best fiction.

The Booker Prize Foundation has announced the Children’s Booker Prize supported by AKO Foundation, the first prize for children’s fiction from the charity that awards the prestigious Booker Prize and International Booker Prize.

The Booker Prizes have rewarded and celebrated world-class talent for over 55 years, helping to shape the canon of 20th and 21st century literature, transforming the careers of writers and building a global community of readers. The Children’s Booker Prize is the first major new prize from the Foundation in two decades, since the launch of the International Booker Prize in 2005.

The Children’s Booker Prize, which will launch in 2026 and be awarded annually from 2027, will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old, written in or translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The aim of the prize is to engage and grow a new generation of readers by recognising and championing the best children’s fiction from writers around the world. Their nominated works will join almost 700 books in the Booker Library.

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. AKO Foundation has generously committed to supporting the prize for its first three years.

The development of the prize over the last three years has been made possible with thanks to donations from a small group of philanthropic supporters.