See how the new Waterstones Children's Laureate medal was made

Published on: 02 June 2017 Author: Emily Drabble

With a new Waterstones Children's Laureate about to be named, we find out how their brand new medal was made.

The medal is a very special symbol of the Waterstones Children's Laureateship - it was first made in 1999 by designer Charmian Harris for the inaugural Children's Laureate, Quentin Blake.

She wasn't alone, though - she had help from the then Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and Michael Morpurgo, who dreamt up the idea of having a Children's Laureate. The laurel design was inspired by a sherry bottle label that Hughes drew, while the book was an obvious addition for the centre!

A new medal maker for 2017

Harris went on to create all the Children's Laureate medals until this year, when she decided to retire. But she kindly gave her designs to our new medal maker, Thomas Lyte England, who make beautiful trophies and medals out of their workshop in Essex.

The medal for the Waterstones Children's Laureate 2017-19, which will be presented to the new Laureate on 7 June by outgoing Children's Laureate Chris Riddell, has been created by master silversmith Lee Bull. He's been a silversmith for 30 years after beginning his apprenticeship when he was 16, spending five years learning the trade. He later became a master silversmith, which means he now trains apprentices himself.

Hand-made and historical

The medal is hand-soldered and hand-rolled, while the gold leaves of the laurel motif have been meticulously cut out and engraved by hand. And some of the tools used to create the medal actually date back over 100 years!

The back - which we can't reveal in this gallery as it reveals the top-secret name of the new Waterstones Children's Laureate - has been engraved by Mark Taylor, and the medal has also been professionally polished by Colin Hines.

One thing's for sure - the new Waterstones Children's Laureate will be delighted to receive this stunning medal and will wear it with pride, as Chris Riddell has for the last two years.