Newly announced – New Children’s Booker Prize Looking for Child Judges!
Child Judges Wanted: Join the First-Ever Children’s Booker Prize Panel
Following the exciting news that the Children’s Booker Prize is being established, the search for the very first judging panel has officially begun. This week, the Booker Prize Foundation launched a nationwide competition to find three child judges to join the panel for the 2027 prize.
For schools and teachers, this is a brilliant way to promote reading for pleasure. It offers your pupils a seat at the table alongside the biggest names in the industry, ensuring the winning book is a genuine recommendation from young readers to their peers.
About the 2027 Judging Panel
The three young judges will work alongside an illustrious adult panel to crown the inaugural winner. Leading the panel as Chair is the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce. He is joined by the actor and writer Lolly Adefope (star of the BBC’s Ghosts) and Sanchita Basu De Sarkar, the award-winning owner of the Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill.
For a young book-lover, the chance to debate the best story with the Children’s Laureate is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As Frank Cottrell-Boyce says in his introductory video:
“I’ve been asked to find three book-loving kids to join me in judging the first ever Children’s Booker Prize. Whether you’ve read one book this year or a hundred; whether you love comic books or big thick chapter books; books with loads of pictures, books with no pictures; it doesn’t matter, YOU could be exactly the judge that we’re looking for.”
Who can Apply and What is Involved?
The competition is open to UK-based children aged 8 to 12. The Foundation is searching for young people who are passionate about stories, curious about the world and happy to share their opinions. Prospective judges will need to be available to read the eight shortlisted books between November 2026 and January 2027 and be confident working as part of a team.
Beyond the prestige of the role, the successful judges will receive the full shortlist of books to keep. They will also get a unique Beano makeover, featuring a portrait by illustrator Nigel Parkinson and a dedicated comic strip in Beano magazine. The experience includes a trip to London for a fun day choosing the winner with the adult judges, and a further trip to London for the ceremony at Young V&A on 2 February 2027, where they will present the trophy on stage.
How to Enter: Information for Parents and Teachers
If you have a pupil who lives for their next library visit, we encourage you to help them apply. To enter, a parent, carer or teacher must submit the online form on the child’s behalf. The application asks children to share why they’d love to be a judge and to talk about their favourite types of books.
Entries Close: Tuesday, 2 June 2026.
Announcement: The three judges will be revealed alongside the shortlist on 24 November 2026.
Where to Apply: Find the entry form on the Booker Prizes website here.
Tracking the New Prize with BooksForTopics
Here at BooksForTopics, we are committed to providing easily accessible, curated information on children’s books. We are here to help teachers and librarians in tracking all developments for the Children’s Booker Prize. We will integrate the shortlists and winners into our Children’s Book Awards Hub and our popular printable children’s book award calendar.
We love children’s book awards here and BooksForTopics director, Alison Leach, has been a long-standing judge on various children’s book award panels across the industry. Alison said:
“Being a children’s book award judge is one of the most rewarding experiences. You will discover new books, find your voice and enjoy a rich and exciting panel discussion as you choose a winner. It’s a true joy and I’d strongly encourage any book-loving children to seize the opportunity to apply!”
To help you manage this essential information efficiently, we maintain a comprehensive, single resource for all major UK book awards for children. You can visit our dedicated hub to follow the progress of the Children’s Booker Prize and every other major literary award throughout the school year: Find the Children’s Book Award Calendar and Awards Hub here.
We look forward to sharing all the announcements as this exciting new prize unfolds. You can also sign up for our newsletter to hear the latest news.
Where next?- Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub
- Browse our Topic Booklists
- View our printable year group booklists.
- See our Books of the Month.