Children's Laureate facts for kids
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 (now deceased) Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children's writer Michael Morpurgo.
A panel of judges considers nominations from a range of organisations representing librarians and sellers, 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.
Contents
UK officeholders
| Term | Laureate | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2001 | Quentin Blake | Laureate's Progress (Random House, 2000) 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 |
Comparable offices elsewhere
Australia
In 2008 an Australian Children's Literature Alliance was founded to select and appoints an annual Australian Children's Laureate. In fact the first year saw two writers sharing the role. Boori Monty Pryor and Alison Lester were announced in Adelaide in December 2011, with Noni Hazlehurst as patron.
United States
In January 2008 the Library of Congress inaugurated its National Ambassador for Young People's Literature scheme, as the U.S. equivalent of the Children's Laureate. The inaugural Ambassador was Jon Scieszka. A similar honour is awarded bi-annually by the Poetry Foundation for the Young People's Poet Laureate.
Ireland
Ireland has a Laureate na nÓg, a two-year office inaugurated by the Arts Council of Ireland in May 2010. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is one supporter.
Sweden
The Swedish Arts Council appoints an author as "Ambassador for reading", Läsamabassadör, for a two-year office since 2011. The ambassador is announced at Gothenburg Book Fair by the Swedish Minister of Culture. As part of the tenure the ambassador help communicate to children about books and reading,
The Netherlands
From 2013 every two years the Dutch Reading Foundation appoints a well-known children's books author as an ambassador for children’s literature. Since 2017, this ‘Kinderboekenambassadeur’ has a seat in his special embassy in the Children's Book Museum in The Hague.
