The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is shared by both the author and their editor, which The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature noted is unusual for literary awards.
History Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books, and Henrietta Branford worked together to produce a great number of books. Both Boase and Branford died in 1999 of cancer. The Branford Boase Award was created to celebrate and commemorate their names and memories and to encourage new talent in writing, which they worked for. The awards were a joint idea by Julia Eccleshare and Anne Marley who both had jobs to do with books. The Branford Boase Award runs alongside the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition for young writers (under 19).
Winners receive a hand-crafted box with the Branford Boase Award logo and a cheque for £1,000. The prize and the official website are currently sponsored by the best-selling children's writer Jacqueline Wilson. The award is given to both the author and their editor, "in recognition of the editor’s role in bringing a debut author to market."
Reception The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature has written that the award's "success in talent-spotting has been impressive, consistently recognising debut works by writers who subsequently go on to achieve great things—among them Marcus Sedgwick, Mal Peet, Meg Rosoff, B. R. Collins, Frances Hardinge, Sally Prue, Kevin Brooks and Siobhan Dowd."
In 2018 judges for the competition criticized the amount of family dramas nominated for the award, stating that it was formulaic and showed a lack of diversity. Judge Philip Womack stated that at least third of the books fell into this category and that they all had a “very similar narrative: there’s an ill child at home, who notices something odd, and is probably imagining it, but not telling the reader. They’re all in the first person, all in the present tense, all of a type". The Bookseller commented on the shortlist submissions for 2022, noting that there was a wider variety of authors and that they were more ambitious, which they felt resulted in "freshly told stories which reflect the writers’ understanding of the needs of today’s readers and the certainty of authors and publishers that those readers want to read outside their own experiences." Publishing Perspectives praised the 2022 shortlist for including a strong selection of books that appeal to both boys and girls.
Winners
+ Branford Boase Award winners Year Writer Title Editor PublisherRef. 2000 Song Quest Barry Cunningham Chicken House 2001 Floodland Orion Books 2002 Cold Tom Liz Cross Oxford 2003 Martyn Pig Barry Cunningham Chicken House 2004 Keeper Paul Harrison Walker Books 2005 How I Live Now Rebecca McNally Puffin Books 2006 Fly By Night Ruth Alltimes Macmillan Children's Books 2007 David Fickling and Bella Pearson David Fickling Books 2008 Before I Die David Fickling David Fickling Books 2009 Emma Matthewson Bloomsbury Publishing 2010 Stolen Chicken House 2011 Out of Shadows Charlie Sheppard Andersen Press 2012 My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece Orion 2013 David Fickling David Fickling Books 2014 Infinite Sky Venetia Gosling Simon & Schuster 2015 Leopold Blue Katie Thomas Hot Key Books 2016 , illus. by Jane Matthews Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot Penny Thomas Firefly Press 2017 Beetle Boy Barry Cunningham and Rachel Leyshon Chicken House 2018 Kick and Becky Walker Usborne Publishing 2019 I Am Thunder Lucy Pearse Macmillan Children's Books 2020 Bearmouth Sarah Odedina Pushkin Children's Books 2021 Orphans of the Tide Ben Horslen Puffin Books2022Danny Chung Does Not Do MathsPiccadilly Press 2023 Ellie Pillai Is Brown Leah Thaxton 2024 Steady for This Ella Whiddett and Ruth Bennett2025Margaret McDonaldGlasgow BoysAlice Swan and Ama BaduFaber & Faber2026Asli JensenLove on SightShalini VallepurChicken House
Shortlists 2000s YearTitleEditor(s)PublisherResultRef.2000Song QuestWinnerSharp StuffTransworldFinalistCan We Keep It, Dad?Andersen PressFinalistTransworldFinalistTroublemakersTransworldFinalistHunting GumnorEgmontFinalistAngus, Thongs and Full-Frontal SnoggingPiccadilly PressFinalist2001FloodlandOrion BooksWinnerControl ShiftHodderFinalistEgmontFinalistThanisOxford University PressFinalist2002Cold TomOxford University PressWinnerJessica Haggerthwaite: Witch DispatcherBloomsbury PublishingFinalistWomen's PressFinalist(Un)arranged MarriageCorgiFinalistMortal EnginesScholasticFinalist2003Martyn PigWinnerMassivePan MacmillanFinalistIce BoyHodderFinalistAndersen PressFinalistDavid Fickling BooksFinalistFrank and the Black Hamster of NarkizPuffin BooksFinalistFeather BoyHarperCollinsFinalist2004KeeperWalker BooksWinnerDavid Fickling BooksFinalistInventing ElliotDolphinFinalistFollow Me DownOxford University PressFinalistFishHodderFinalistMontmorencyScholasticFinalist2005How I Live NowPuffin BooksWinnerUniqueOxford University PressFinalistDizzyPuffin BooksFinalistMillionsMacmillanFinalistZeus on the LooseRandom HouseFinalistWolf BrotherOrion BooksFinalistLast Train from KummersdorfFaberFinalist2006Fly By NightMacmillan Children's BooksWinnerHomeWalker BooksFinalistAndersen PressFinalistLuath PressFinalistHellbentDoubledayFinalistCenturySimon & SchusterFinalistBarkbellyPuffin BooksFinalist2007 and Bella PearsonDavid Fickling BooksWinnerGideon the CutpurseSimon & SchusterFinalistStoneheartHodderFinalistBeastScholasticFinalistShort BooksFinalistYou're a Bad Man, Mr GumEgmontFinalistRandom HouseFinalist2008Before I DieDavid Fickling BooksWinnerAtinukeAnna HibiscusWalker BooksFinalistNathan Fox: Dangerous TimesMacmillanFinalistWavesFinalistHodderFinalistFinding Violet ParkHarperCollinsFinalist2009Bloomsbury PublishingWinnerFlood Child FinalistBetween Two SeasOxford University PressFinalistBloodlineWalker BooksFinalistWalker BooksFinalistWays to Live ForeverScholasticFinalistDavid Fickling BooksFinalist
2010s YearTitleEditor(s)PublisherResultRef.2010StolenWinnerDevil's KissPuffin BooksFinalistLife, InterruptedPiccadilly PressFinalistGuantanamo BoyPuffin BooksFinalistBig and CleverFive LeavesFinalistNumbersFinalistParadise BarnCatnipFinalist2011Out of ShadowsAndersen PressWinnerI am the BladeHachetteFinalistWhen I Was JoeFrances LincolnFinalistTall StoryDavid Fickling BooksFinalistUnhooking the MoonQuercusFinalistFinalist2012My Sister Lives on the MantelpieceOrion BooksWinnerLong Lankin and Natalie DohertyBodley HeadFinalistBeing BillyPuffin BooksFinalistSmall Change for Stuart and Ruth KnowlesBodley HeadFinalistEverybody JamAndersen PressFinalistSky HawkOxford University PressFinalistBloomsbury PublishingFinalist2013David Fickling BooksWinnerAfter the SnowMacmillanFinalistFaberFinalistDaylight SavingWalker BooksFinalistFrances LincolnFinalist and Jonathan WeilBlack ArtsDavid Fickling BooksFinalistHot Key BooksFinalist2014Infinite SkySimon & SchusterWinnerWinter DamageBloomsbury PublishingFinalistWild Boy and Lucy Early Walker BooksFinalistRed InkHot Key BooksFinalistAlex the Dog and the Unopenable Door and Susila BaybarsFaberFinalist and Barry CunninghamFinalistGeek GirlHarperCollinsFinalist2015Leopold BlueHot Key BooksWinnerBone Jack and Eloise Wilson Andersen PressFinalistSimon & SchusterFinalistCowgirlNosy CrowFinalistHalf BadPuffin BooksFinalistTrouble and Denise Johnstone-BurtWalker BooksFinalistSimon & SchusterFinalist2016, illus. by Jane MatthewsAubrey and the Terrible YootFirefly PressWinnerStone Rider and Tig WallacePenguin Random HouseFinalist, illus. by Ross CollinsPenguin Random HouseFinalistMy Brother is a SuperheroNosy CrowFinalistTime Travelling with a HamsterHarperCollins Children’s BooksFinalistDavid Fickling BooksFinalist2017Beetle Boy and Rachel LeyshonWinnerCogheartUsborneFinalistWe Are GiantsQuercusFinalistLittle Bits of SkyNosy CrowFinalistSimon & SchusterFinalistFinalistRiverkeep and Sharyn NovemberPenguin Random HouseFinalist2018Kick and Becky WalkerUsborne PublishingWinnerHead of Zeus: ZephyrFinalistQuercus Children’s BooksFinalistFish BoyFaberFinalistKnighthood for Beginners and Elv MoodyOxford University PressFinalistPotter's BoyDavid Fickling BooksFinalistWalker BooksFinalist2019I Am ThunderMacmillan Children's BooksWinner and Becky Walker UsborneFinalist and Becky Walker UsborneFinalistRosie Loves JackUsborneFinalistWalker BooksFinalistOrphan Monster Spy and Kendra LevinUsborneFinalistOrion BooksFinalist
2020s YearTitleEditor(s)PublisherResultRef.2020BearmouthPushkin Children's BooksWinner and Henry WhiteLittle Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties and Holly Harris Puffin BooksFinalistBloomsbury PublishingFinalist and Sarah LevisonEgmontFinalistElectric MonkeyFinalistFrostheartPuffin BooksFinalistPenguin BooksFinalist2021Orphans of the TidePuffin BooksWinnerWhen Life Gives You MangoesPushkin PressFinalistWitchZephyrFinalistAnd the Stars Were Burning BrightlySimon & SchusterFinalistRun, RebelPenguin BooksFinalistKnights OfFinalist and Becky Walker UsborneFinalist2022Danny Chung Does Not Do MathsPiccadilly PressWinnerSkin of the Sea and Tricia LinPenguin BooksFinalist, Stephanie Stein, and Asmaa IssePenguin BooksFinalistGrowFirefly PressFinalistBloomsbury PublishingFinalistDigger and Me and Ruth Bennett Little TigerFinalistScholasticFinalistGrimwoodSimon & SchusterFinalist2023Ellie Pillai is BrownFaberWinnerFlying Eye BooksFinalistLittle Island BooksFinalist, illus. by George ErmosSeedMacmillan Children’s Books FinalistRebel SkiesWalker BooksFinalistGuppy Books FinalistAndersen Press FinalistFinalist
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