Oscar's Book Prize


Oscar's Book Prize is a British children's book prize awarded annually to a book for pre-school age children, which was first published in the UK during the previous calendar year. The £5,000 prize is supported by the London Evening Standard and sponsored by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust, its patron is Princess Beatrice. Actor Gillian Anderson was one of the judges for the 2015 prize. In 2021, the prize money was raised to £10,000.
The prize was founded in 2014 by James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand in memory of their three-year-old son Oscar Ashton who died unexpectedly in 2012. It aims to celebrate a child's love for magical stories and to reward the creativity of early-years literature and to highlight the importance of reading with children.

2014

The 2014 prize was awarded to Benji Davies for The Storm Whale.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
Open Very CarefullyNick Bromley and Nicola O'Byrne
The Black RabbitPhilippa Leathers
The SnatchabookThomas Docherty
The Storm WhaleBenji Davies
Spaghetti with the YetiCharlotte Guillain, Adam Guillain, and Lee Wildish

2015

The 2015 prize was awarded to Steve Antony for The Queen's Hat.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
Dangerous!Tim Warnes
HedgehugsSteve Wilson and Lucy Tapper
The Queen's HatSteve Antony
The Sea TigerVictoria Turnbull
This Book Just Ate My Dog!Richard Byrne

2016

The 2016 prize was awarded to Gemma Merino for The Cow Who Climbed a Tree.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
Hector And HummingbirdNicholas John Frith
Sir LilypadAnna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie
The Cow Who Climbed A TreeGemma Merino
The Fox And The StarCoralie Bickford-Smith
The Lion InsideRachel Bright and Jim Field

2017

The 2017 prize was awarded to Rachel Bright and Jim Field for The Koala Who Could.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
Hello, Mr DodoNicholas John Frith
Odd Dog OutRob Biddulph
The Knight Who Wouldn't FightThomas Docherty
The Koala Who CouldRachel Bright and Jim Field
There's A Tiger In The GardenLizzy Stewart

2018

The 2018 prize was awarded to John Dougherty and Laura Hughes for There's a Pig Up My Nose.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
Lucie GooseDanny Baker and Pippa Curnick
That Bear Can't BabysitRuth Quayle and Alison Friend
The Secret of Black RockJoe Todd Stanton
There's a Pig Up My NoseJohn Dougherty and Laura Hughes
Sunk!Rob Biddulph

2019

The 2019 prize was awarded to Ed Vere for How to be a Lion.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
Almost AnythingSophie Henn
Ruby's WorryTom Percival
The Way Home for WolfRachel Bright and Jim Field
How to be a LionEd Vere
Baby’s First Bank HeistJim Whalley and Stephen Collins

2020

The 2020 prize was awarded to Benji Davies for Tad.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
The SuitcaseChris Naylor-Ballesteros
A Mouse Called JulianJoe Todd Stanton
Alphonse, There’s Mud on the Ceiling!Daisy Hirst
I Am a TigerKarl Newson and Ross Collins
The Runaway PeaKjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore
TadBenji Davies

2021

The 2021 prize was awarded to Lu Fraser and illustrator Kate Hindley for The Littlest Yak.
Shortlisted Books List
TitleAuthor
I’m Sticking with youSmriti Halls and Steve Small
Meesha Makes FriendsTom Percival
Rain Before RainbowsSmriti Halls and David Litchfield
The Hospital DogJulia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie
The Littlest YakLu Fraser and Kate Hindley
Would You Like A Banana byYasmeen Ismail