About the award

Who is the current Children's Laureate?
Michael Rosen is the current Children's Laureate.

What is the Children's Laureate?
The role of Children's Laureate, which has a bursary of £10,000, is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. The appointment of a Children's Laureate acknowledges the importance of exceptional children's authors in creating the readers of tomorrow.

Where did the idea come from?
The idea for the Children's Laureate originated from a conversation between (the then) Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children's writer Michael Morpurgo. The illustrator Quentin Blake was the first Children's Laureate (1999-2001), followed by the author Anne Fine (2001-2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005-7) and most recently Michael Rosen (2007-2009)

How can the public find out more?
Via this web site, which has biographies of past winners, plus information about laureateship events.

Who selects the Children's Laureate?

The judges considered nominations for the Children's Laureate 2007-2009 from a range of organisations representing librarians, critics, writers and booksellers, including the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). They also considered authors and illustrators nominated by children who voted through Waterstone's bookshops across the UK and online through this website.

The selection panel for the award is changed every two years. The judging panel for 2007-9, chaired by Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, comprised:

* Marilyn Brocklehurst – independent bookseller, Norfolk Children’s Book Centre

* Lindsey Fraser – literary agent, critic and member of the Children’s Laureate Steering Committee

* John O’Farrell – author and journalist

* Phyllis Ramage – children’s librarian, London Borough of Harrow

* Dr David Rudd – University of Bolton, academic specialising in children’s literature

* Wayne Winstone, representative from the sponsors, Waterstone’s

How is the Children's Laureateship administered?
The Children's Laureateship is administered by Booktrust, who organise the four official Children's Laureate events, manage the press and PR (via a consultant) and run the official website.

Please contact childrenslaureate@booktrust.org.uk.

Who funds/supports the Children's Laureate?

The award is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Waterstone’s are sole sponsors of the 2007-9 award, which is also supported by lead publisher sponsors Puffin Books, Walker Books and Bloomsbury Children’s Books; and additional publisher sponsors Andersen Press, Evans Publishing Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Children’s Books, Random House Children’s Books, Scholastic and Templar Publishing