Ricky Boleto, Joseph Coelho and Sophie Dahl join The Week Junior Book Awards judging panel

CBBC “Newsround” presenter Ricky Boleto, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph are among the judges for the The Week Junior Book Awards 2024, run by The Week Junior magazine in collaboration with The Bookseller and W H Smith. Children’s TV presenter and author Jess French, author and Place2Be ambassador Sophie Dahl and author S F Said are also judges on this year’s panel.

The 2024 awards feature many new categories, including Graphic Novel, Poetry, Picture Book and Wellbeing, as well as Animals and Nature, and Hobbies and Interest. These sit alongside the existing awards for Fiction, Non-Fiction, Audiobooks and STEM. There is also an accolade for the Children’s Breakthrough Book of the Year, which will be given to the best book for children by a new author.

Also on the judging panels this year are author and illustrator Nadia Shireen, author and educator Jeffrey Boakye, illustrator Dave McKean and teacher and TV presenter Bobby Seagull. They will be joined by children’s literature experts such as the Times children’s books reviewer Lucy Bannerman, SLA Primary School Librarian of the Year Sally Hamerton, and autistic author and editor Lizzie Huxley-Jones. Booksellers, educators and charities working to get children reading are also represented, along with the director of the Barnes Children’s Book Festival, Amanda J Brettargh.

“I am honoured to have the support of such a brilliant and inspiring ensemble. Their combined knowledge and passion for words, pictures and reading for pleasure will guarantee this year’s awards are fuelled by our shared commitment to recognising and celebrating the very best children’s books,” said Anna Bassi, editorial director of The Week Junior.

Also this year, The Week Junior readers will also have the opportunity to judge, with their votes determining the winner of the Children’s Book Cover of the Year, and another addition to the line-up — the Children’s Choice Award. This new accolade will be awarded to a book from the shortlists that gets the most votes by children.

The Week Junior Book Awards has also partnered with W H Smith this year, and the aim of this collaboration is to amplify the visibility of shortlisted titles and award winners. 

Children’s book publishers are invited to submit their nominations for The Week Junior Book Awards 2024 until midnight on 27th March, with the shortlists announced on 11th June 2024 — ahead of  The Bookseller Children’s Conference and the award ceremony on 30th September 2024, as well as The Week Junior Book Festival on 29th October 2024.