Booktrust partners with Kindle for new prize

19.09.13 | Lisa Campbell - The Bookseller

Booktrust has partnered with Amazon Kindle to launch a new prize—The Booktrust Best Book Awards.

The prize will seek to find the very best children’s books in the UK and provide a platform for children to “rave about the very best books with the same enthusiasm as they do the latest Hollywood blockbuster”, according to Booktrust chief executive Viv Bird.

Bird said: "Our goal is simple; we want children to be in charge of what, how, and when they read. With support from Kindle we’re creating a platform for children to rave about the very best books with the same enthusiasm as they do the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
"We hope that this, in time, will change the culture of reading in this country. Ultimately, we cannot deny the life changing benefits that reading can bring.”

There will be 10 awards in five categories aimed at pre-school-aged children to 14-year-olds: picture books, fiction, non-fiction, humour books and digital. Books must have been published in 2013, be first editions and be written by a UK author. There will also be a lifetime achievement award for an influential children's writer or illustrator.

Parents, schools and libraries can register to get involved in the awards from today (19th September) and the shortlist will be announced in March. Children will then be invited to read the books, take part in activities and vote for their favourite titles online.

The winners will be announced at ‘The Best Books Bash’, a star-studded awards ceremony in central London during Children's Book Week 2014 (commencing 30th June), which 300 children from around the country will attend.
Kindle has supported Booktrust in the past during its Read for my School campaign. The prize was designed by Booktrust following two pieces of market analysis the charity commissioned after its Early Years Awards and Teenage Prize ceased following funding cuts. The idea for the prize then came from considering what children and the world of children’s books really needed.

Claire Shanahan, head of arts at Booktrust, said: “We wanted to develop an award which put kids at the heart of it. They will be telling us which books are the best—it is empowering them to decide. We don’t want to be seen as an organisation which tells kids what to read. They have to want to read books themselves and hopefully this prize will encourage that.”

 The organisations said they share the aspiration of getting “as many children reading as possible".
Jorrit Van der Meulen, vice-president of Kindle EU, added: “Children’s books and the stories within them stay with us for a lifetime and inspire us to read throughout adulthood. We are delighted to work with Booktrust and The Best Book Awards to encourage as many children as possible to fall in love with storytelling and discover their own thirst for reading.”
For more information, visit: The Booktrust Best Book Awards with Kindle.