Criteria for the 2025 Branford Boase Award
- The Award will be made annually to the most promising book of 6,000 words or more for seven-year-olds and upwards by a first novelist in a single calendar year.
- The author may have published other books in another genre – for example, poetry or a picture book – but eligibility for the prize requires that this is their first novel for children.
- The book chosen should be first published on a children’s list in the UK in 2024.
- The book must have an Editor.
- The author should live and work in the UK.
- We cannot accept books that are only available in e-format or that are self published or where the author has contributed or paid for the costs of publishing.
- The Award will be for a novel or a younger reader for children, but not for a short story which is part of a compilation by various authors, nor for a picture book, nor for a collection of poetry.
- It is the publisher’s responsibility to check that all books submitted are first novels for children and this should be confirmed with the authors prior to submission.
- The book should have been published between 1 January and 31 December 2024.
- The winning author and editor will each receive a trophy.
- The winning author will also receive a cheque for £1,000.
Rules of entry for 2025 Award
- Publishers should ensure that all submissions satisfy the criteria given above.
- Each publisher may submit up to six books.
- The publisher should initially submit 3 copies of each book – one for the Chair of Judges, Julia Eccleshare, one for the Administrator, Andrea Reece and one for Advisor, Jane Churchill. Please send the book(s) for consideration direct, complete with the submission form(s) to the addresses below.
- Publishers whose books are subsequently selected for the wider Judging panel will be asked to submit the successful titles to the other Judges on the panel during January 2025.
- Books should be submitted no later than Friday 29th November 2024.
- There will be a charge of £250 per title for books shortlisted for this Award.
- All correspondence should be with the Administrator only.
- Publishers must share with the Branford Boase Award contact details of the shortlisted authors within a week of request.
Please send one copy of each submission, each with an accompanying submission form to:
Andrea Reece, 30 Winton Avenue, London N11 2AT
and
Julia Eccleshare, 37 Oak Village, London NW5 4QN
and
Jane Churchill, 80 Naunton Lane, Cheltenham GL53 7BG
PLEASE MARK PARCELS: BRANFORD BOASE AWARD SUBMISSION
For Further Information Contact:
Andrea Reece, Administrator Branford Boase Award
E: Branford.boase@gmail.com
T: 020 8889 1292 / 07807893369
