The Booktrust Teenage Prize has consistently raised awareness of the very best writing for young adults.
Launched in 2003 to recognise and celebrate contemporary fiction written for teenager, the prize (which is judged by a mixed panel of adults and teenagers) has in the words of former judge Matt Whyman 'fast become the benchmark for quality young people's fiction in the UK.'
Previous winners are Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Sarah Singleton's Century, Anne Cassidy's Looking for JJ and Anthony McGowan's Henry Tumour.
2009 prize
For the second year running, we are releasing a longlist to celebrate the thrilling best of the year's books for teenagers.
Auslander by Paul Dowswell (Bloomsbury)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
Tales of Terror from the Black Ship by Chris Priestley (Bloomsbury)
Numbers by Rachel Ward (Chicken House)
Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray (Definitions)
Furnace: Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith (Faber)
Three Ways to Snog an Alien by Graham Joyce (Faber)
The Ant Colony by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)
Bloodchild by Tim Bowler (Oxford University Press)
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (Puffin)
Solitaire by Bernard Ashley (Usborne)
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (Walker)
Exposure by Mal Peet (Walker)
Look out for the shortlist announcement in September!
2009 teenage judges competition
Entries are now being accepted for the 2009 Teenage Judges competition.
When Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the United States it inspired millions of people in America and across the world.
What would you do if you were president or prime minister for a day?
Write a short story about how you would spend your day and you could win the chance to join the judging panel for the UK's biggest teenage book prize.
You could help decide this year's best book for young adults and attend the award ceremony in London in November, where you will be able to meet the 2009 shortlisted authors.
Download the entry form for the competition (Adobe Acrobat .doc)
Read the press release about the competition (Microsoft Word .doc 145Kb)
The closing date for entries in Monday 27 July.
2008 prize
The winner of the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize is Patrick Ness for The Knife of Never Letting Go (Walker).
Patrick received a cheque for £2,500 and a trophy at a ceremony in London on 18 November.
Amanda Craig, Chair of Judges, said, 'In a strong year for young adult fiction, the judges of the Booktrust Teenage Prize selected six novels - coincidentally, three by men and three by women - that we all felt were outstanding for the scope of their imagination, their originality, their writing and their appeal. The Knife of Never Letting Go made the judges laugh, cry and debate its contents with passion; a striking mixture of thriller, science fiction and literary tour de force, it's influenced by writers as diverse as Laurence Sterne and Ursula le Guin, and should appeal to a wide readership.'
Viv Bird, Director of Booktrust, said, 'The Booktrust Teenage Prize attracts some great authors and this year was no exception. With an impressive shortlist of compelling and well-written novels, The Knife of Never Letting Go was original and completely gripping. I offer huge congratulations to the author and winner Patrick Ness for his remarkable book.'
Read the press release about the 2008 winner (Microsoft Word .doc 767Kb)
The shortlist for the 2008 Prize was announced on 1 September. In alphabetical order by author, the shortlisted titles are:
The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner (Orion)
A magical adventure story set in the chaotic days of the French Revolution. Hero Yann and his dwarf mentor Tetu struggle to save their friends from the guillotine’s blade.
Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz (Walker)
The latest installment in the adventures of Alex Rider, in which he re-enters earthly events from outer space and gets tangled up with the Australian Secret Service and an investigation into the criminal world of the Snakehead organisation.
Apache by Tanya Landman (Walker)
Fourteen-year-old orphan Siki already has a fierce hatred for the Mexican warriors, but when her little brother Tazhi is brutally slain in front of her she vows with all her heart to become an apache warrior and avenge his death.
The Knife That Killed Me by Anthony McGowan (Definitions)
McGowan’s enthralling story of the terrible consequences of peer pressure and violence. Paul Varderman becomes embroiled in the war between the gang led by twisted bully Roth and the gang of a neighbouring school when Roth hands him a knife which both empowers him and scares him at the same time.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Walker)
A sci-fi fantasy novel set in a small town where women are banished and only men remain. Todd and his friend Viola must escape the town, the mysterious men who are chasing them and the unremitting ‘Noise’ virus.
Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson (Bodley Head)
A teenage tearaway from tough downtown Dublin is unwillingly relocated into rural County Clare. Bobby is determined to steal the first available car to rejoin his urban gang mates. However, the longer he stays in the old house the deeper he gets into a mystery from the past.
Read the shortlist press release (Microsoft Word doc 757Kb)
The judging panel for the 2008 prize is:
Amanda Craig, journalist and author
Emma Sherriff, librarian
Julia Bell, author
John McLay, children's books specialist
Matthew Sawyer, young judge
Read about the judges (Microsoft Word doc 755Kb)
The winning author will receive a cheque for £2,500 and a trophy at a ceremony to be held in London on 18 November 2008.
Find out about previous winners and shortlists
Prize administration
Prize information
Rosa Anderson
t 020 8516 2973
e rosa@booktrust.org.uk
Press information
Katherine Solomon
t 0208 875 4583
e katherine.solomon@booktrust.org.uk
