Children's Laureate
Children's Laureate is a position initially awarded in the United Kingdom once every two years to a "writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field." The post stemmed from a discussion between the Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children's writer Michael Morpurgo.
A panel of judges considers nominations from a range of organisations representing librarians, critics, writers and booksellers, including the International Board on Books for Young People. They also consider writers and illustrators nominated directly by children, who now vote online.
The award is funded by several publishing industry and charity sector sponsors, including the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. As of 2019 its main sponsor is Waterstones bookshop; it was sponsored by Ottakar's before the two companies merged.
A bursary of £15,000 is offered for the two-year term, and the Laureate receives a silver medal at the announcement ceremony, most recently held on 9 July 2019 by Cressida Cowell.
UK officeholders
Term | Laureate | |
1999–2001 | Quentin Blake | Laureate's Progress is "a kind of diary in pictures". Blake created a few other books as Laureate and initiated the House of Illustration arts charity, established 2002. |
2001–03 | Anne Fine | |
2003–05 | Michael Morpurgo | |
2005–07 | Jacqueline Wilson | Judges chaired by Shami Chakrabarti, director of pressure group Liberty |
2007–09 | Michael Rosen | |
2009–11 | Anthony Browne | Judges chaired by Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009 |
2011–13 | Julia Donaldson | |
2013–15 | Malorie Blackman | |
2015–17 | Chris Riddell | |
2017–19 | Lauren Child | |
2019–21 | Cressida Cowell |