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Children's 'Booker' mooted

08.05.08 Caroline Horn

Children's publishers are investigating the creation of a "children's Booker" award to replace the Nestlé Children's Book Prize, which ceased in January when Nestlé's sponsorship ended.

A working party has been set up by the Publishers Association's Children's Book Group to investigate how best to establish "a really wonderful, high-profile children's book award", according to Puffin m.d. Francesca Dow. The group hopes to emerge with a strategy in the next few months.
"The Children's Book Group of the PA had already been talking about the creation of a new prize that could be a 'children's Booker', and the Nestlé announcement came at the same time," said Dow. "We definitely felt it was a loss and need to talk about a replacement."

The Nestlé award, which ran for 23 years, was regarded as the most commercial of the existing children's book awards. Dow said that instead of creating an en-tirely new award, publishers could decide to place more focus on an existing children's book award, such as the CILIP Carnegie and Greenaway Medals.

Retailers were supportive of the move but urged organisers to consider the award's timing. Waterstone's children's buying manager Sarah Clarke said: "The demise of the Nestlé/Smarties Prize does leave a gap for a high-profile children's prize, and we would support efforts to launch a new prize to recognise and reward great children's writing. The Smarties Prize always suffered from being announced at the height of the  Christmas season, so we would hope whoever takes up the challenge thinks carefully about timing."

Becky Stradwick, senior children's buyer at Borders, added: "It was a shame to lose the Nestlé award. It had the most commercial shortlist and sold the best for us out of all the prizes. We would be very pleased to see another award that helps to generate discussion and to shine a media spotlight on children's books."

* "Blue Peter" has announced a change to its scheduling of the Blue Peter Book Awards, with the winner to be announced in the spring rather than the autumn to coincide with World Book Day. The shortlist will still be announced in the autumn. "Blue Peter" is not seeking submissions until its plans have been finalised.

Caroline Horn booker children's Home Nestlé Children's Book Prize

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By David R N Livesley - Woodstock Vermont

As much as one could add support to existing awards the fact was that the Nestle/Smarties award was the one that actually got punters into the shops buying books, rather than many publishers just patting themselves on the backs and producing a sticker that librarians thought looked attractive. The Booker sells books is because the award is the probably one of the biggest (the Orange prize being the other) to get media coverage. A new kids award would need a BIG media sponsor otherwise it will just generate press in the book world and 'Mrs Trellis of North Wales' would never hear of it and trundle into her local bookshop to view the winner. Awards should have merit but also should sell products. Or am I too commercially minded?

09 May 08 00:52

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By Tricia Adams, Youth Libraries Group Chair

The CILIP Carnegie medal has been awarded for the past 70 years, the Kate Greenaway medal for the last 50 years – their lasting impact on children’s publishing and children’s literature should not be dismissed on a purely commercial basis. These awards are judged by a team of professional children and young people’s librarians against a set of rigorous criteria. The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding book in terms of illustration. All categories of illustrated books for children and young people are eligible. The book that wins the Kate Greenaway Medal should be a book of outstanding artistic quality. The whole work should provide pleasure from a stimulating and satisfying visual experience. The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding book, all categories of books for children and young people written in English are eligible. The book that wins the Carnegie Medal should be a book of outstanding literary quality. The whole work should provide pleasure, not merely from the surface enjoyment of a good read, but also the deeper subconscious satisfaction of having gone through a vicarious, but at the time of reading, a real experience that is retained afterwards. The judging process also involves young people as a part of the shadowing scheme – over 90,000 young readers are registered to be a part of the process this year. This is an award that is already big in the book world – partnership and development could make it even bigger!

09 May 08 16:43

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