LONDON — Britain's most prestigious literary prize is set to receive its younger brother.
Booker Prize The foundation announced on Friday that it would establish the Children's Booker Prize alongside its existing awards for English-language and translated fiction.
Like the other prizes, the children's award includes a purse worth £50,000 ($67,000).
Entries for the prize will open early next year and the first award will be presented in 2027, with the winner selected by a children's and adult jury led by author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the current British Children's Laureate.
Cottrell-Boyce, whose books include the Carnegie Medal-winning “Millions,” said he is “excited” about the prospect.
“There will be, as they say, quite a scene. Let the screaming begin,” he said.
The new prize, funded by arts, environment and education charity AKO Foundation, will be open to works of fiction from any country, intended for children aged 8 to 12, written in English or translated and published in the UK or Ireland.
Man Booker Prize Foundation chief executive Gabi Wood said the prize's aim was to inspire more young people to read and become “the seed that we hope will grow into future generations of lifelong readers”.
The original Booker Prize was established in 1969 and has earned a reputation for transforming the careers of writers. Its winners included Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy And Hilary Mantel.
This year's winner will be announced on November 10th.
International Booker Prize was established in 2005 as a lifetime achievement award. Since 2016, the prize has been awarded to one translated work of fiction, with the prize money divided between the author and the translator. Past winners include: Nobel literature laureates Olga Tokarczuk Poland and Han Kang South Korea.
