Branford Boase Award


The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist."
Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books, and Henrietta Branford worked together to produce a great number of books. Both Boase and Branford died in 1999 of cancer. The Branford Boase Award was created to celebrate and commemorate their names and memories and to encourage new talent in writing, which they worked for. The awards were a joint idea by Julia Eccleshare and Anne Marley who both had jobs to do with books.
The Branford Boase Award runs alongside the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition for young writers.
Winners receive a hand-crafted box with the Branford Boase Award logo and a cheque for £1,000. The prize and the official website are currently sponsored by the best-selling children's writer Jacqueline Wilson.
I have a special affection for this prize since I was invited to be the first Author Judge in 2000. Since then the prize has grown in stature with an incredible 57 titles submitted last year, reflecting a great enthusiasm for new writing amongst publishers and readers alike. It can be such a struggle for new writers starting out that I am thrilled to be able to offer this support to a prize which can make a real difference to their prospects.

Winners

YearWriterTitleEditorPublisher
2000Katherine Roberts Song QuestBarry Cunningham Chicken House Publishing
2001Marcus SedgwickFloodlandFiona KennedyOrion Books
2002Sally PrueCold TomLiz CrossOxford
2003Kevin BrooksMartyn PigBarry CunninghamChicken House
2004Mal PeetKeeperPaul HarrisonWalker Books
2005Meg RosoffHow I Live NowRebecca McNallyPuffin Books
2006Frances HardingeFly By NightRuth AlltimesMacmillan Children's Books
2007Siobhan DowdA Swift Pure CryDavid Fickling and
Bella Pearson		David Fickling Books
2008Jenny DownhamBefore I DieDavid FicklingDavid Fickling
2009B. R. CollinsThe Traitor GameEmma MatthewsonBloomsbury Publishing
2010Lucy ChristopherStolenImogen CooperChicken House Publishing
2011Jason WallaceOut of ShadowsCharlie SheppardAndersen Press
2012Annabel PitcherMy Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece Fiona KennedyOrion
2013Dave SheltonA Boy and a Bear in a BoatDavid FicklingDavid Fickling
2014C.J FloodInfinite SkyVenetia GoslingSimon & Schuster
2015Rosie PowellLeopold BlueKatie ThomasHot Key Books
2016Horatio ClareAubrey and the Terrible YootPenny ThomasFirefly Press
2017M. G. LeonardBeetle BoyBarry Cunningham and Rachel LeyshonChicken House Publishing
2018Mitch JohnsonKickRebecca Hill and Becky WalkerUsborne Publishing
2019Muhammad KhanI Am ThunderLucy PearseMacmillan Children's Books

Shortlists

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;2012
  • Lindsey Barraclough – Long Lankin – edited by Annie Eaton and Natalie Doherty
  • Phil Earle – Being Billy – edited by Shannon Park
  • Lissa Evans – Small Change for Stuart – edited by Annie Eaton and Ruth Knowles
  • Ali Lewis – Everybody Jam – edited by Charlie Sheppard
  • Gill Lewis – Sky Hawk – edited by Liz Cross
  • Irfan Master – A Beautiful Lie – edited by Emma Matthewson
  • Annabel Pitcher – My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece – edited by Fiona Kennedy
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;2013
  • S. D. Crockett – After the Snow – edited by Emma Young
  • Natasha Farrant – The Things We Did for Love – edited by Julia Heydon-Wells
  • Edward Hogan – Daylight Saving – edited by Mara Bergman
  • Wendy Meddour – A Hen in the Wardrobe – edited by Janetta Otter-Barry
  • Andrew Prentice & Jonathan Weil – Black Arts – edited by Simon Mason
  • Dave Shelton – A Boy and a Bear in a Boat – edited by David Fickling
  • Lydia Syson – A World Between Us – edited by Sarah Odedina
2014
  • C.J. Flood – Infinite Sky – edited by Venetia Gosling
  • Natasha Carthew – Winter Damage – edited by Rebecca McNally
  • Rob Lloyd Jones – Wild Boy – edited by Mara Bergman and Lucy Early
  • Julie Mayhew – Red Ink – edited by Emily Thomas
  • Ross Montgomery – Alex the Dog and the Unopenable Door – edited by Rebecca Lee and Susila Baybars
  • Fletcher Moss – The Poison Boy – edited by Imogen Cooper and Barry Cunningham
  • Holly Smale – Geek Girl – edited by Lizzy Clifford
2015
  • Sara Crowe, Bone Jack, edited by Charlie Sheppard and Eloise Wilson
  • Clare Furniss, The Year of the Rat, edited by Jane Griffiths
  • Giancario Gemin, Cowgirl, edited by Kirstie Stansfield
  • Sally Green, Half Bad, edited by Ben Horslen
  • Non Pratt, Trouble, edited by Annalie Grainger and Denise Johnstone-Burt
  • Rupert Wallis, The Dark Inside, edited by Jane Griffiths
2016
  • David Hofmeyr, Stone Rider, edited by Ben Horslen and Tig Wallace
  • Will Mabbitt,The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones, edited by Ben Horslen, illustrations by Ross Collins
  • David Solomons, My Brother is a Superhero, edited by Kirsty Stansfield
  • Ross Welford, Time Travelling with a Hamster, edited by Nick Lake
  • Lisa Williamson, The Art of Being Normal, edited by Bella Pearson
2017
  • Peter Bunzi, Cogheart, edited by Rebecca Hill
  • Amber Lee Dodd, We are Giants, edited by Niamh Mulvey,
  • Sue Durrant, Little Bits of Sky, edited by Kirsty Stansfield
  • Stewart Foster, The Bubble Boy, edited by Rachel Mann
  • Kiran Millwood Hargrave, The Girl of Ink and Stars, edited by Rachel Leyshon
  • Martin Stewart, Riverkeep, edited by Shannon Cullen and Sharyn November
2018
  • Yaba Badoe, A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars, edited by Fiona Kennedy
  • Sharon Cohen, The Starman and Me, edited by Sarah Lambert
  • Chloe Daykin, Fish Boy, edited by Leah Thaxton
  • Elys Dolan, Knighthood for Beginners, edited by Clare Whitston and Elv Moody
  • Tony Mitton, Potter’s Boy, edited by Anthony Hinton
  • Jacob Sager Weinstein, The City of Secret Rivers, edited by Gill Evans
2019'