Children's Booker seeks young judges

The Booker Prize Foundation has opened a UK-wide search for three children aged eight to 12 to help choose the first Children’s Booker Prize winner. (thebookerprizes.com) (thebookseller.com) The adult judges announced on Tuesday are writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, actor and comedian Lolly Adefope, and bookseller Sanchita Basu De Sarkar. Cottrell-Boyce will chair the panel. (thebookerprizes.com) (publishersweekly.com) The three adults will first choose a shortlist of eight books, due to be announced on November 24, 2026. Three child judges will then join them to pick the winner. (thebookerprizes.com) The prize is for fiction written for children aged eight to 12, and the winning book will be announced on February 2, 2027. The ceremony will be held with Young V&A in London and livestreamed for schools. (thebookerprizes.com) (publishersweekly.com) Publishers can now submit eligible books, and the winner will receive £50,000. Shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500. (thebookerprizes.com) (devdiscourse.com) The Booker Prize Foundation announced the children’s award in October 2025 as its first major new prize since the International Booker Prize launched in 2005. AKO Foundation is backing the new award. (thebookerprizes.com) (booksforkeeps.co.uk) The foundation has said at least 30,000 copies of shortlisted and winning books will be gifted, part of a plan to widen access to children’s fiction beyond the prize itself. (thebookerprizes.com) Applications from children are now open, turning the first Children’s Booker from a new award on paper into a prize with its judging panel taking shape. (thebookerprizes.com)