TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and award-winning illustrator Axel Scheffler – best known for his work on children’s classic The Gruffalo – are the first celebrity judges to be announced for Oscar's Book Prize 2021, with more to be revealed in the new year.

Now in its eighth year, Oscar’s Book Prize celebrates the best new books for under-fives – a vital time for children to fall in love with reading. James Ashton and Viveka Alvestrand created the prize in memory of their son, Oscar Ashton, who loved stories.

Commenting on her new role, Lorraine Kelly said:

“Some of my favourite memories as a parent include reading bedtime stories to my daughter Rosie and I cannot wait to see what colourful characters, adventures and stories appear in this year’s entries. I wish everyone entering the very best of luck.”

Axel Scheffler said:

“I know how much work goes into creating a book for under-fives age and the impact it can have, so I am delighted to be on the judging panel for Oscar’s Book Prize this year and look forward to championing the work of some great children’s illustrators and authors.”

Oscar's Book Prize is supported by Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust and its patron is HRH Princess Beatrice. The prize’s organisers distribute donated shortlisted books to schools and nurseries across the UK.

Prize chairman James Ashton said:

“I'm delighted to welcome all our judges and supporters who will make our eighth annual contest the most thorough search yet for the picture book that will capture the imagination of young readers all over the UK."

Previous winners of the Prize include two-time winner Benji Davies, most recently for Tad in 2020, and Ed Vere in 2019 for his picture book How to be a Lion.

The prize is now open for entries and publishers can submit their chosen books at www.oscarsbookprize.co.uk until 5pm on Monday, January 25th, 2021. The shortlist will be revealed on Monday, April 12th, and the winner of the £5,000 prize will be announced on Thursday, May 12th, 2021.

About Oscar’s Book Prize

Oscar’s Book Prize is an annual prize for the best under-fives book of the year. It champions magical storytelling by authors and illustrators, best shared between young children and their parents.

It is awarded in memory of book-loving Oscar Ashton, who died in 2012 of an undiagnosed heart condition aged three and a half.

Founded by his parents and supported by Amazon, the Evening Standard and the National Literacy Trust, the Prize has been running since 2014.

For news and all other information please visit www.oscarsbookprize.co.uk or follow @oscarsbookprize on Instagram or Twitter

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About Axel Scheffler

Axel was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1957. He studied history of art in Hamburg, before moving to the United Kingdom to study illustration at Bath Academy of Art in 1982. Since then he has worked as a freelance illustrator in London. He is best known for the children's books he has illustrated through his partnership with author, Julia Donaldson. Together they created The Gruffalo, which has sold over 17 million copies in over 80 countries throughout the world. He lives in London.

About Lorraine Kelly

Lorraine OBE is an award winning TV presenter and journalist, hosting her own ITV show 'Lorraine'. Born in Glasgow, Lorraine joined her local weekly newspaper The East Kilbride News aged seventeen. In 1983, she joined BBC Scotland as a researcher, and a year later she became TVam's Scottish correspondent covering stories like the Piper Alpha disaster and the Lockerbie bombing. She went on to co-host TVam and GMTV. In 2012, Lorraine was awarded the OBE by HM The Queen for services to charity and the armed forces at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. She is a patron of Help For Heroes. Lorraine lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Steve, daughter Rosie and their dog Angus.