Are you aspiring to become a childrens book author or do you simply enjoy writing in your spare time? The wonderful Oscar’s Book Prize competition has just gone live and you could be awarded £5000 in memory of Oscar Ashton and in partnership with Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust.
Oscar’s Book Prize is an annual prize for the best book of the year for under 5’s and a royal who isn’t currently in any trouble, HRH Princess Beatrice is a Patron.
As if HRH Princess Beatrice wasn’t celebrity enough, X Factor and Radio 2 Presenter Dermot O’Leary, who is also author of the Toto the Ninja Cat children’s books series (Which according to the Amazon listing is written for children aged 6 – 8 years…) will join Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and Jake Hope, children’s book consultant, on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize for 2020.
“We are proud to support Oscar’s Book Prize and I am delighted to be on this year’s judging panel. I’ll be looking for stories that stimulate a child’s imagination and help them understand the world around them. From our origins as a bookseller to the present day, Amazon has always been – and always will be – passionate about inspiring children to read.”
– Simon Johnson, Country Manager, Amazon UK Books
Author Benji Davies was a previous winner for the award with his book titled ‘The storm whale’ The book is about a lonely boy’s friendship with a whale and won the inaugural Oscar’s Book Prize. Friendship is incredibly important and relevant to all. Even adults can learn a thing or two from this soothing story.
“Exposure is important for any picture book writer, to push your name and your work into the hands of your readers. The Storm Whale was the first picture book that I both wrote and illustrated, so winning Oscar’s Book Prize was not only an incredible honour but also a superb platform. The recognition also swelled my confidence as a writer and spurred me on to write my next picture book – it’s been a huge stepping stone.”
– Benji Davies, Author, The Storm Whale
Find out more about the competition here.