The Branford Boase Award has announced the longlist for its 25th year including fantasy adventures, detective stories and YA romances.
The prize celebrates the most promising book for seven-year-olds and upwards.
It recognises a first-time children’s novelist and also highlights the importance of the editor in the development of new authors. The shortlisted authors may have published other books in another genre – for example, poetry or a picture book – but eligibility for the prize requires that this is their first children’s novel.
Knights Of are delighted that Lizzie Huxkley-Jones and their Editor, Eishar Brar, have been longlisted for the middle-grade adventure Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend (May 2023).
Chair of the judges and co-founder of the Branford Boase Award Julia Eccleshare said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 25 years of the Branford Boase Award as it continues to highlight the most talented new writers for children and the editors who support them.
The shortlist will be announced on 25th April and the winner will be announced on 11th July at an awards ceremony at Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in London.
The Branford Boase Award was set up in 2000 in memory of the outstanding and prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and Wendy Boase, editorial director and one of the founders of Walker Books.