You may hear people talk about the Putlizer Prize, the Booker Prize, or even the Nobel Prize for Literature- but do you ever hear of Children’s Book Awards?
Children’s Books rarely see the kind of formal awards and acknowledgement that comes with accolades. Through the decades, Indian Children’s Books have risen to international standards. We see an influx of inclusive and diverse books introducing children to nuanced topics such as caste, inequality and climate change. Everything from production quality to art styles have flourished over time. Children’s Books are works of art, crafted with rich illustrations, unique storytelling, and attention to detail like never before.
When creativity and innovation blossom, recognition naturally follows. Recently, more and more award shows have dedicated Children’s Book categories, commending distinction in children’s literature.
Check out these awards dedicated to Children’s Books-
Our Top 7 Children’s Book Awards
1. The Neev Book Awards For Distinguished Children’s Literature
Neev Academy, a top IB (International Baccalaureate) school in Bangalore, hosts these awards as part of the Neev Literature Festival. And they take Children’s Literature seriously. Eminent educators, librarians and authors comprise the jury. With a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh for each category, it aims to promote quality children’s literature in India.
Neev Distinguished Children’s Literature Award Categories
Picture Books
Emerging Readers (For ages 1 to 3)
Junior Readers (For ages 7-9)
Young Adult (For ages 13-16)
Read about the Neev Literature Festival shortlisted books from 2019, along with our reviews of them HERE.
2. Parag Honour List
The Tata Trust Parag Honour List is one of the few initiatives that bring out high quality listings of Children’s Books. Despite not actually being an award, the Parag Honour List has earned its place on our list. In general, we face a shortage of quality Children’s Book lists, and Parag Honour does us… well, that honour. It is a reputed, handpicked selection of outstanding Children’s Books in both English and Hindi.
Download the 2020 Parag Honour List HERE.
3. The Peek-A-Book Children’s Choice Awards
Peak-A-Book conducts their annual Peak-A-Book Literature Festival at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai. It is the only award where the jury is comprised entirely of… you guessed it, children! A selection of books is divided into 4 age based categories. Then, the winners are decided by a jury of children (chosen based on entries from schools).
Check out the Peek-A-Book Children’s Choice Awards 2019 winners HERE.
4. The Publishing Next Industry Awards
CinnomonTeal Publishing House presents these awards every year, during the ‘Publishing Next‘ Conference. Their full board of advisors attend the ceremony. The various categories for children’s books include Book Cover of the Year and Printed Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 0-8 and 8+).
Read about the Publishing Next Industry Awards 2019 winners HERE.
5. The Crossword Book Awards – ‘Best Children’s Book of the Year’
Organized by the Crossword chain of bookstores, the award aims to promote Indian writing in English as well as books translated to English.
Check out 2019’s ‘Best Children’s Book of the Year’ winners here.
6. The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Awards
Source: The Hindu
Started in 2016, the Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Awards is one of the first Awards to recognize excellence in the field of Children’s Literature in India. Each year’s award recognizes the best books from the previous year.
You can see the 2019 winners here and the list of shortlisted books HERE.
7. Bal Sahitya Puraskar, Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi awards the Bal Sahitya Puraskar for excellence in literature from all the official languages of the Indian Constitution (as well as unofficial languages from the North-East). They not only award individual works, but also eminent contributors to the field of children’s literature.
See the full list of all Bal Sahitya Puraskar winners HERE.
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