Win the Books Shortlisted for the 2024 Branford Boase Award

Win the books shortlisted for the 2024 Branford Boase Award!

The Branford Boase Award is celebrating its 25th anniversary! Set up in 2000, the Branford Boase Award is presented annually to the author of the outstanding debut novel for children. It also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.

The Branford Boase Award has an exemplary record in picking out future stars. Past winners and shortlisted authors include Meg Rosoff, Katya Balen, Philip Reeve, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness, M.G. Leonard, and Maisie Chan. Last year’s winner was Christine Pillainayagam for Ellie Pillai is Brown.

There are 6 books on the 2024 shortlist. Julia Eccleshare, co-founder of the Branford Boase Award and chair of the judges says, “As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Branford Boase Award, we are particularly excited to announce this shortlist. We have seen huge changes in the number of books submitted for the award, but more importantly in the range of stories being written. The development of own voice narratives is particularly exciting. The authors shortlisted for this year’s award are extremely talented, and there’s an authenticity and freshness to their books that we found exhilarating.”

The six shortlisted books are:

The Final Year Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton, edited by Charlotte Hacking (Otter-Barry Books)

The First Move by Jenny Ireland, edited by Ruth Knowles with Sara Jafari (Penguin)*

Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan, edited by Eloise Wilson (Andersen Press)

Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore, edited by Ella Whiddett and Ruth Bennett (Hot Key Books)

The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell, edited by Ben Horslen and Julie Strauss-Gabel (Puffin)

You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud, edited by Sarah Stewart (Usborne)

You can find out more about all the books and their authors and editors on the Branford Boase Award website branfordboaseaward.org.uk/ .

To win a set of the six shortlisted books, simply email branford.boase@gmail.com with your name and address. Include World Book Day 2024 Branford Boase Award Competition in the title of your email.

The closing date is Monday 3 June 2024.