The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Childrens Book Award

Takeshita Demons was the winner of the inaugural Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award for diversity in children’s fiction.

And this year’s award shortlist is nearly due to be released! Woo  hoo! Good luck everyone!

Did you enter this year?

If no, you totally should enter next year, especially if you tick any of these boxes:

1. I want to take positive steps to increase the representation of people writing from or about different cultural perspectives
2. I want to promote new writing for children, especially by or about people whose culture and voice are currently under-represented
3. I recognise that as children’s books shape our earliest perceptions of the world and its cultures, promoting writing that represents diversity will contribute to social and cultural tolerance.
4. I am interested in winning £1,500, plus working with Frances Lincoln Children’s Books to publish my children’s novel

Here’s some tips if you’re thinking of entering

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award is for a manuscript that celebrates cultural diversity in the widest possible sense, either in terms of its story or in terms of the ethnic and cultural origins of its author.

The prize will be awarded to the best work of unpublished fiction for 8–to-12-year-olds by a writer, aged 16 years or over, who has not previously published a novel for children.

The work must be written in English and it must be a minimum of 10,000 words and a maximum of 30,000 words.

The winner of the Award is chosen by an independent panel of judges. The distinguished panel of judges includes:

Trevor Phillips – Chair of The Equality and Human Rights Commission

Jake Hope – Children’s Librarian for Lancashire Libraries and a freelance consultant

Geraldine Brennan – Journalist and former Books Editor at the TES

Mary Briggs – Co-Founder of Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books

Janetta Otter-Barry – Janetta Otter-Barry Books at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

More on Frances Lincoln and the Diverse Voices award
The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award was created in memory of Frances Lincoln (1945 – 2001) , the founder of London-based publishing house Frances Lincoln Limited. Frances Lincoln died, aged 55, in February 2001.

Frances was described by Julia Eccleshare in the TES as “the publisher best known for pioneering multicultural books for children.” Michael Rosen, the Children’s Laureate, commented that,” Publishing has lost a brave and innovative person who has left behind her, much too soon, a thriving legacy.”

Frances’ husband, John Nicoll, now runs the company. Frances Lincoln publish well over 100 new books a year, and have nearly 1000 in print. Their turnover is around £7 million per annum and they employ about 40 people.

The award is held in conjunction with Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books, an innovative cultural centre for children’s literature and funded in part by Arts and Business.