At Bright, we know that trying to keep up with the calendar of industry awards can feel an impossible task at times. With so many longlist and shortlist announcements, announced seemingly out of the blue, and the application process varying from award to award, we wanted to find a way to simplify the who’s, what’s and when’s of all the major children’s publishing and illustration awards.

So we created this handy guide, simplifying the key details and gathering them - prettily! - in one place. Who’s eligible to apply? What prize does the winner receive? Which artists/authors have previously won the award? We’ve pinned down the answers – including those elusive shortlist/longlist/prize-giving dates – and listed them in one place to give an overview of the awards year that can be referred to whenever you need a refresher of the facts (because there are simply too many to know all at once!).

---

CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS

Waterstones Children’s Book Prize

The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize includes three categories: Illustrated Books, Younger Fiction, and Older Fiction. A winner is announced per category, plus one overall winner.

For more information click here.

Oscar’s Book Prize

Oscar’s Book Prize is awarded in memory of Oscar Ashton and in partnership with Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust.

For more information click here.

The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (The Lollies)

The Lollies celebrate funny children’s books in three categories: picture books, 6-8 years, 9-13 years.

For more information click here.

Blue Peter Book Awards

The Blue Peter Book Awards were launched in 2000 by Book Trust. The award celebrates children’s books in two categories: the Best Story and the Best Book with Facts.

For more information click here.

The Alligator’s Mouth Award

The Alligator’s Mouth Award was launched in 2018 by The Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop and The Bright Agency. The award celebrates the marriage of artwork and text in early fiction books.

For more information, click here.

Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards

Now in its sixth year, the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards aims to celebrate some of the best titles in children’s publishing across five categories, covering everything from Best Picture Book to Favourite Characters.

More information about the 2019 awards coming soon.

Children’s Book Award

The Children’s Book Award is the only national award voted for solely by children from start to finish.

For more information click here.

Costa Book Awards

Launched in 1971, the Costa Book Awards celebrate books in five categories - First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book - with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year.

For more information click here.

ILLUSTRATION AWARDS

V&A Illustration Awards

The V&A Illustration Awards were established in 1972 and include the following categories: Book Illustration Award, Book Cover Design Award, Editorial Illustration Award, Student Illustrator of the Year, Student Runner-up, plus the overall award for Illustrator of the Year.

For more information click here.

The Klaus Flugge Prize

The Klaus Flugge Prize was founded in 2016 to honour publisher and Andersen Press founder, Klaus Flugge and to nurture new talent in children’s books around the world.

For more information click here.

World Illustration Awards

The World Illustration Awards are delivered by the AOI in partnership with the Directory of Illustration.

For more information click here.

The Kate Greenaway Medal

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal was established in 1955, for distinguished illustration in a book for children.

For more information click here.

---

Read more about children’s book awards and why they matter here.