13th June 2025


News


Children’s Books North and New Writing North launch picture- book prize


The new Children’s Books North Network Prize will be the first prize focused on Northern picture- book creators


REPORTING Caroline Carpenter C


hildren’s Books North Network (CBNN) is launching the first prize for aspiring picture-book writers


and illustrators based in the North of England. The Children’s Books North Network Prize will be run in partnership with New Writing North and will be part of the agency’s Northern Writers’ Awards. It is funded by Arts Council England and Manchester Metropolitan University.


Emma Layfield, co-founder of


CBNN, said: “The CBNN Prize will help make a less London-centric literary ecosystem by creating the first children’s book prize that is focused on Northern picture-book writers and illustrators and will, in turn, attract more children’s publishers and agents to the North and help create more opportuni- ties and jobs here.” New Writing North’s chief execu-


tive Claire Malcolm added: “Creating this prize has been a long-held ambition for Emma and we have been delighted to help her get this exciting new opportunity off the ground. “It complements the excellent


work she’s already doing with the CBNN to champion regional diver- sity in who gets to write and illus- trate children’s books. This perfectly aligns with our own ambitions at New Writing North and so the prize will be a welcome addition to the Northern Writers’ Awards 2026.”


Entrants must be unpublished,


CBNN members at a networking social in Leeds


Co-founder Emma Layfield is one of the judges for the new prize


Confirmed judges for the 2026


prize include illustrators Lydia Monks and Dapo Adeola and Orange Beak Studio co-founder Ness Woods, as well as Layfield. Monks said she was “delighted”


to be invited to judge the new prize, expanding: “There is still so much focus on the South in publishing. It will be nice to have a spotlight shining on the talent in the North for a change, as there is a lot of it!” Adeola commented: “I’m abso-


lutely stoked to be a judge on the CBNN Prize. A significant portion of my career has been dedicated to helping new and diverse talent emerge, and this new and much needed opportunity to do so outside of London is one that I’m very excited to be a part of.” Each year, the CBNN Prize will


rotate between awarding a picture- book text, picture-book illustration and a picture book from an author- illustrator. The inaugural year will focus on illustrators. Submissions will open in November 2025 and close in February 2026, with the winner and runner-up to be announced July 2026.


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aged 18 or over and resident in the North of England. The winner and runner up will receive a cash prize and all the shortlisted illustrators will receive one-to-one mentoring from established illustrators based in the North. The prize also aims to highlight


the wider Northern literary ecol- ogy. All contributors will be based in the North and the prize will also work closely with other Northern organisations and cultural venues to deliver it. Roadshows – including portfolio reviews, workshops and talks –will be held at Grimm & Co in Rotherham, The Reader in Liverpool and Durham Book Festival. There will also be an online event. The award ceremony will be held at Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books, located in Newcastle upon Tyne. CBNN was founded in 2020 by


Layfield, Tilda Johnson and Liz Scott, with the aim to connect and support published children’s writ- ers, illustrators and publishing professionals living in the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Scotland and advocate for the importance of regional diversity in children’s books and the wider industry. It now has more than 450 members and is led by Layfield and Rebecca Mortimer.


Northern Powerhouse Focus News


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