Nominations open for 2021 Children's Book Awards

Sunday 18 October 2020

The Channel Islands Children's Book Awards are back for another year and local children are being encouraged to vote for their favourite books ahead of the 2021 ceremony.

This year's awards will be slightly different this time around, with a new Picture Book of the Year category to showcase the best illustrated books for younger children too.

Nominations are now open, with parents, guardians, teachers and library staff invited to to nominate books on behalf of the children.

In January, a panel of judges will read the eligible nominated books and decide on a final shortlist. Schools will then run book groups to discuss the shortlisted titles and children will be asked to vote for their winner, which will be announced at a ceremony in September.

Pictured: Children will have the chance to discuss the shortlisted books before voting.

"We're thrilled to be bringing the awards back for another year, and especially excited to be launching the new picture book category," said Reading Lead at the Guille-Alles Library, Jodie Hearn. "We can't wait to see what books parents and teachers nominate as this year they've been tasked with finding new books that young readers will be excited to read over and over again."

The awards, which are sponsored by Ravenscroft, are a joint initiative between the Guille-Alles and the Jersey Public Library.

"At Ravenscroft, we've really enjoyed being part of the Channel Islands Children's Book Awards, reading the books and providing our feedback to the judges," said Juliet Bousfield from the firm. "With the disrupted school year in 2020, it's so important that children are encouraged to keep reading discover new authors and genres, and immerse themselves in the different worlds of fiction."

Due to lockdown, the 2020 awards had to be postponed, so children have been given until 27 November to vote for this year's winner.

Pictured: The nominations for this year's awards over the Guille-Alles Library.

The 2020 shortlist includes 'Malamader' by Thomas Taylor, 'Storm Hound' by Claire Fayers, 'Check Mates' by Stewart Foster, and 'The Day I Was Erased' by Lisa Thompson.

To mark the awards, the library is running a competition for nine to 12-year-olds, challenging them to design an alternative cover for one of the titles in the shortlist.

The Guernsey winner will be awarded a £100 Outdoor Guernsey voucher, while the winners in Alderney and Sark will be given overnight trips to Guernsey including travel and accommodation.

For more information on the Channel Islands Children's Book Awards, click HERE.