The Booker Foundation launches a new children's prize that will award 57,000 euros to the winner

The Booker Foundation , which has awarded its prestigious literary prize for more than half a century, announced the creation of a new children's prize for the best fiction written, which awards the winner £50,000 (€57,370) and will be awarded annually from 2027.

This award will recognize the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to twelve , written and translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, the institution explained in a statement.

The aim of the award, which will be organized jointly with the AKO Charitable Foundation, is " to attract and foster the development of a new generation of readers , recognizing and promoting the best children's fiction from authors around the world."

The works nominated from the first call, which will be held next year , will join the almost 700 books in the Booker Library.

The AKO Foundation pledged to fund the prize for its first three years, while the Booker Foundation's other awards, the Booker Prize and the International Booker Prize, are covered by philanthropic donors.

The award will be open to publishers in the spring of 2026 , while the shortlist of the eight books will be announced at the end of November 2026, and the winner will be revealed at an event in February 2027.

The period to be able to access the 2027 prize is from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026.

The shortlisted authors will receive £2,500 (€2,870) , and the prize is open to authors from all over the world, for both books originally written in English and those translated.

"Its aim is to be several things at once: an award that will promote future classics written for children ; a social intervention designed to inspire more young people to read; and a seed from which we hope future generations of lifelong readers will grow," said Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Foundation.