Oscar's Book Prize 2020: the competition is now open for entries - and we reveal our fantastic Judges!

We are excited to announce that the prize is now open for this year's entries, and to finally reveal the fantastic judges that will be finding our five best books for the under 5s!

Publishers, please visit our Enter page for all information about how to submit your best books: we’re accepting entries from now until 5pm on Friday 21st February. Good luck everyone – we can’t wait to see what 2020’s Prize brings!

We’re also thrilled to reveal that Jake Hope, Dermot O’Leary and Francesca Simon are uniting forces – along with Amazon UK’s Simon Johnson, and Oscar’s parents Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton – to search for the most recent – and most magical - picture books that will captivate very young readers.

The full press release follows here:

DERMOT O’LEARY JOINS JUDGING PANEL OF £5,000 CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Presenter and children’s author O’Leary joins Francesca Simon, creator of the Horrid Henry children’s book series, and Youth Libraries Group chair Jake Hope on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize
The prize, now in its seventh year, celebrates the best in literature for under-fives with a £5,000 prize
Oscar’s Book Prize was created by his parents in memory of Oscar Ashton, who loved children’s stories and died aged three-and-a-half of an undetected heart condition.

LONDON, January 13th, 2020 – X Factor and Radio 2 Presenter Dermot O’Leary, who is also author of the Toto the Ninja Cat children’s books series, will join Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and Jake Hope, children’s books consultant, on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize for 2020.

Also on the judging panel are Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton, who founded the £5,000 literary award in memory of their son, and Simon Johnson, Country Manager for Amazon UK Books.

The prize, which is supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust, celebrates the best in literature for under-fives and is now open for entries. It has been running for seven years and counts HRH Princess Beatrice as its patron.

Dermot O’Leary said: “I’ve always been surrounded by books and was read aloud to from an early age. Books give me so much pleasure so I was inspired to get involved with Oscar’s Book Prize because it celebrates those very early books that we all need as children to show us what a truly magical experience reading can be.”

The prize was set up in 2013 in partnership with the Evening Standard.

Editor George Osborne said: “Oscar’s Book Prize began as a way of commemorating a young boy who loved stories. Today it continues to celebrate the power of story-telling and the vital role it plays in firing the imaginations of children everywhere.”

Simon Johnson, Country Manager for Amazon UK Books, said: “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.”

Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “Picture books are children’s first introduction to the magical world of stories. The best picture books help children learn new words, imagine new things and, when shared with loved ones, offer great opportunities for bonding. We are delighted to support an award that celebrates the incredible authors and illustrators whose stories engage, excite and educate our youngest minds.”

Publishers can submit entries for the 2020 prize now and until 5pm on Friday 21st February 2020. The shortlist will be announced on Friday 17th April, with the winner revealed on Thursday 7th May at a ceremony at the May Fair Hotel in central London.

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact the Oscar’s Book Prize press office on 020 7100 7100 or at obp@theacademypr.com.

More About Our 2020 Judges

Jake Hope is passionate about stories, books and reading. He is a Reading Development and Children's Book Consultant who has worked as the Reading and Learning Development Manager for Lancashire Libraries, one of the largest authorities in the United Kingdom.

Jake’s work entails trying to make reading accessible and enjoyable for people of all backgrounds and ages. Jake has contributed to numerous publications on children’s books and reading and has recently written a book on visual literacy: 'Seeing Sense'.

Jake is the Chair of the Working Party for the UK’s oldest children’s book awards, the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. He is an avid reader and commentator on reading and books for children and young people and a keen promoter of libraries.

Dermot O’Leary started his career on T4 for Channel 4 and has presented shows for both ITV and the BBC. His best-known work includes The X Factor, Big Brother's Little Brother, Unicef's Soccer Aid, BBC3's First Time Voters Question Time, the RTS Award winning 'Live from Space' season and the Brit Awards.

2017 saw Dermot launch his new Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2, 'Saturday Breakfast with Dermot O'Leary'. Previously in the Saturday afternoon slot, 'The Dermot O'Leary Show' won three Sony Radio Awards and was well known for its support of new and emerging bands.

In 2019 Dermot hosted his tenth and final National Television Awards and presented the Explorers episodes of the BBC's 'Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century'.

Last September saw the launch of ‘People, Just People’, Dermot’s first podcast series with Audible where he interviews interesting people from all walks of life. Guests so far have included Ed Miliband, Stephen Graham, Stig Abel and Eni Aluko.

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Superstar Catastrophe is Dermot's third children's book. He lives in London with his wife Dee and their cats Socks and, of course, Toto.

Francesca Simon is the author of the hugely popular Horrid Henry series, which has sold over 22 million copies and is published in 29 countries. She has written more than 60 books and won the Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.

Her books for older children include The Sleeping Army and The Lost Gods. Francesca’s first book for teens, The Monstrous Child, about Hel, the Norse Goddess of the dead, was shortlisted for both the 2017 Costa Book Awards and the YA Book Prize. She wrote the libretto for an opera based on The Monstrous Child with the composer Gavin Higgins, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in February 2019.

Francesca went to Yale and Oxford Universities, where she studied medieval literature, art history, and Anglo-Saxon. She lives in London with her family.

We are excited to announce that the prize is now open for this year's entries, and to finally reveal the fantastic judges that will be finding our five best books for the under 5s!

Publishers, please visit our Enter page for all information about how to submit your best books: we’re accepting entries from now until 5pm on Friday 21st February. Good luck everyone – we can’t wait to see what 2020’s Prize brings!

The full press release follows here:

DERMOT O’LEARY JOINS JUDGING PANEL OF £5,000 CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

Presenter and children’s author O’Leary joins Francesca Simon, creator of the Horrid Henry children’s book series, and Youth Libraries Group chair Jake Hope on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize

The prize, now in its seventh year, celebrates the best in literature for under-fives with a £5,000 prize

Oscar’s Book Prize was created by his parents in memory of Oscar Ashton, who loved children’s stories and died aged three-and-a-half of an undetected heart condition.

LONDON, January 13th, 2020 – X Factor and Radio 2 Presenter Dermot O’Leary, who is also author of the Toto the Ninja Cat children’s books series, will join Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and Jake Hope, children’s books consultant, on the judging panel of Oscar’s Book Prize for 2020.

Also on the judging panel are Viveka Alvestrand and James Ashton, who founded the £5,000 literary award in memory of their son, and Simon Johnson, Country Manager for Amazon UK Books.

The prize, which is supported by Amazon and the National Literacy Trust, celebrates the best in literature for under-fives and is now open for entries. It has been running for seven years and counts HRH Princess Beatrice as its patron.

The prize was set up in 2013 in partnership with the Evening Standard.

Editor George Osborne said: “Oscar’s Book Prize began as a way of commemorating a young boy who loved stories. Today it continues to celebrate the power of story-telling and the vital role it plays in firing the imaginations of children everywhere.”

For media enquiries, please contact the Oscar’s Book Prize press office on 020 7100 7100 or at obp@theacademypr.com.

More About Our 2020 Judges

Jake Hope is passionate about stories, books and reading. He is a Reading Development and Children's Book Consultant who has worked as the Reading and Learning Development Manager for Lancashire Libraries, one of the largest authorities in the United Kingdom.

Jake’s work entails trying to make reading accessible and enjoyable for people of all backgrounds and ages. Jake has contributed to numerous publications on children’s books and reading and has recently written a book on visual literacy: 'Seeing Sense'.

Jake is the Chair of the Working Party for the UK’s oldest children’s book awards, the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. He is an avid reader and commentator on reading and books for children and young people and a keen promoter of libraries.

2017 saw Dermot launch his new Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2, 'Saturday Breakfast with Dermot O'Leary'. Previously in the Saturday afternoon slot, 'The Dermot O'Leary Show' won three Sony Radio Awards and was well known for its support of new and emerging bands.

In 2019 Dermot hosted his tenth and final National Television Awards and presented the Explorers episodes of the BBC's 'Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century'.

Last September saw the launch of ‘People, Just People’, Dermot’s first podcast series with Audible where he interviews interesting people from all walks of life. Guests so far have included Ed Miliband, Stephen Graham, Stig Abel and Eni Aluko.

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Superstar Catastrophe is Dermot's third children's book. He lives in London with his wife Dee and their cats Socks and, of course, Toto.

Francesca went to Yale and Oxford Universities, where she studied medieval literature, art history, and Anglo-Saxon. She lives in London with her family.