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.

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 (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.

2007 prize

Marcus Sedgwick won the 2007 prize for his gothic novel My Swordhand is Singing (Orion).

Anthony McGowan, judge and winner of last year's prize, commented:

'The 2007 Booktrust Prize turned up some stunning novels. But one novel stood out for its utterly gripping narrative, its brilliantly created atmosphere of terror and suspense, and the subtle poetry of its language. Marcus Sedgwick’s My Swordhand is Singing hooks the reader from the opening sentence, and, like the Gypsy music at its core, resonates still in the imagination long after the last note is sounded.'

Viv Bird, Director of Booktrust, said:

'Choosing this year’s winner from such a superb shortlist was extremely daunting for all our judges. The books were all of extraordinary calibre: compelling, beautifully written and reflecting a wide variety of themes. We are delighted that the Booktrust Teenage Prize is attracting such remarkable authors and congratulate Marcus wholeheartedly on his outstanding book.'

Marcus was presented with a trophy and a cheque for £2,500 at a ceremony in London on 31 October (appropriately enough, given the spooky nature of his book).

Read the press release

The shortlist for the 2007 prize was announced on 4 September:

Theresa Breslin The Medici Seal (Doubleday)
Kate Cann Leaving Poppy (Scholastic)
Mal Peet The Penalty (Walker Books)
Philip Reeve Here Lies Arthur (Scholastic)
Meg Rosoff Just in Case (Penguin)
Marcus Sedgwick My Swordhand is Singing (Orion)

Read the press release

2007 judges

Angela Wilkinson, librarian (Chair)
Tom Gatti, associate editor, Times Books
Anthony McGowan, author
Isabelle Ellis-Cockcroft, school student

In addition, the judges were joined by the winners of the young judge short story competition to select the winning book from the shortlist:

Sam Audet
Katharine Flach
Matthew Sawyer
Francesca Grapes
Zita Abila

2006 prize

Anthony McGowan won the 2006 Booktrust Teenage Prize for Henry Tumour, the story of Hector Brunty, who struggles to cope with his alter-ego, his abusive but hilariously funny talking brain-tumour Henry.

2006 shortlist

Siobhan Dowd A Swift Pure Cry (David Fickling Books)
Ally Kennen Beast (Scholastic Books)
Paul Magrs Exchange (Simon and Schuster)
Anthony McGowan Henry Tumour (Doubleday)
Marcus Sedgwick The Foreshadowing (Orion)
John Singleton Angel Blood (Puffin)

2006 judges

Mal Peet, author (Chair)
Helen Comerford, school student
Louise Kanolik, school librarian
Joel Rickett, deputy editor, The Bookseller
Emma Hoddinott, journalist

For more information about previous winners and the prize visit the Bookheads website where you will also find hundreds of book recommendations by and for teenagers.

Find out more on the Bookheads website

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