Children’s Book Awards

This list features book awards that celebrate children’s literature, spotlighting books of exceptional quality.

Here at BooksForTopics we are big fans of children’s books awards, which catapult noteworthy authors into the spotlight and bring the children’s book market the wider recognition it deserves. We are often asked to lend a hand in shortlisting and judging for children’s book awards, including the Lollies (Laugh Out Loud) Book Awards, the Diverse Book Awards, the Graphic Novel Prize and the Alligator’s Mouth Award for short illustrated fiction – as well as our very own Books of the Year award, voted by teachers.

Below we’ve featured a range of children’s book award shortlists that teachers might find useful to follow. Exploring the shortlisted titles offers a great way to broaden your knowledge of children’s books. Prize lists also serve as handy starting points for discovering noteworthy reads from previous years or books that might have become otherwise forgotten. We’ve also included some special collections curated by expert panels from across the industry, like the Read for Empathy collection and the Reflecting Realities recommendations.

Awards for authors and illustrators prove invaluable in identifying talented contributors to the world of children’s books on both national and international scales, as well as bringing children’s books into the news. These recognitions not only honour individual talents but also serve as useful guides for finding impactful voices in the world of children’s literature.