# Branford Boase Award

The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is shared by both the author and their editor, which The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature noted is unusual for literary awards.

## History

Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books, and Henrietta Branford worked together to produce a great number of books. Both Boase and Branford died in 1999 of cancer. The Branford Boase Award was created to celebrate and commemorate their names and memories and to encourage new talent in writing, which they worked for. The awards were a joint idea by Julia Eccleshare and Anne Marley who both had jobs to do with books. The Branford Boase Award runs alongside the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition for young writers (under 19).
Winners receive a hand-crafted box with the Branford Boase Award logo and a cheque for £1,000. The prize and the official website are currently sponsored by the best-selling children's writer Jacqueline Wilson. The award is given to both the author and their editor, "in recognition of the editor’s role in bringing a debut author to market."

## Reception

The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature has written that the award's "success in talent-spotting has been impressive, consistently recognising debut works by writers who subsequently go on to achieve great things—among them Marcus Sedgwick, Mal Peet, Meg Rosoff, B. R. Collins, Frances Hardinge, Sally Prue, Kevin Brooks and Siobhan Dowd."
In 2018 judges for the competition criticized the amount of family dramas nominated for the award, stating that it was formulaic and showed a lack of diversity. Judge Philip Womack stated that at least third of the books fell into this category and that they all had a “very similar narrative: there’s an ill child at home, who notices something odd, and is probably imagining it, but not telling the reader. They’re all in the first person, all in the present tense, all of a type". The Bookseller commented on the shortlist submissions for 2022, noting that there was a wider variety of authors and that they were more ambitious, which they felt resulted in "freshly told stories which reflect the writers’ understanding of the needs of today’s readers and the certainty of authors and publishers that those readers want to read outside their own experiences." Publishing Perspectives praised the 2022 shortlist for including a strong selection of books that appeal to both boys and girls.

## Winners

Branford Boase Award winners :
| Year | Writer | Title | Editor | Publisher |
| 2000 | Katherine Roberts | Song Quest | Barry Cunningham | Chicken House |
| 2001 | Marcus Sedgwick | Floodland | Fiona Kennedy | Orion Books |
| 2002 | Sally Prue | Cold Tom | Liz Cross | Oxford |
| 2003 | Kevin Brooks | Martyn Pig | Barry Cunningham | Chicken House |
| 2004 | Mal Peet | Keeper | Paul Harrison | Walker Books |
| 2005 | Meg Rosoff | How I Live Now | Rebecca McNally | Puffin Books |
| 2006 | Frances Hardinge | Fly By Night | Ruth Alltimes | Macmillan Children's Books |
| 2007 | Siobhan Dowd | A Swift Pure Cry | David Fickling and Bella Pearson | David Fickling Books |
| 2008 | Jenny Downham | Before I Die | David Fickling | David Fickling Books |
| 2009 | B. R. Collins | The Traitor Game | Emma Matthewson | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| 2010 | Lucy Christopher | Stolen | Imogen Cooper | Chicken House |
| 2011 | Jason Wallace | Out of Shadows | Charlie Sheppard | Andersen Press |
| 2012 | Annabel Pitcher | My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece | Fiona Kennedy | Orion |
| 2013 | Dave Shelton | A Boy and a Bear in a Boat | David Fickling | David Fickling Books |
| 2014 | C. J. Flood | Infinite Sky | Venetia Gosling | Simon & Schuster |
| 2015 | Rosie Rowell | Leopold Blue | Katie Thomas | Hot Key Books |
| 2016 | Horatio Clare, illus. by Jane Matthews | Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot | Penny Thomas | Firefly Press |
| 2017 | M. G. Leonard | Beetle Boy | Barry Cunningham and Rachel Leyshon | Chicken House |
| 2018 | Mitch Johnson | Kick | Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker | Usborne Publishing |
| 2019 | Muhammad Khan | I Am Thunder | Lucy Pearse | Macmillan Children's Books |
| 2020 | Liz Hyder | Bearmouth | Sarah Odedina | Pushkin Children's Books |
| 2021 | Struan Murray | Orphans of the Tide | Ben Horslen | Puffin Books |
| 2022 | Maisie Chan | Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths | Georgia Murray | Piccadilly Press |
| 2023 | Christine Pillainayagam | Ellie Pillai is Brown | Leah Thaxton | |
| 2024 | Nathanael Lessore | Steady for This | Ella Whiddett, Ruth Bennett | |

## Shortlists
### 2000s

| Year | | Title | Editor(s) | Publisher | Result |
| 2000 | Katherine Roberts | Song Quest | Barry Cunningham | The Chicken House | Winner |
| 2000 | Dominic Barker | Sharp Stuff | | Transworld | Finalist |
| 2000 | Gus Clarke | Can We Keep It, Dad? | | Andersen Press | Finalist |
| 2000 | Richard Kidd | The Giant Goldfish Robbery | | Transworld | Finalist |
| 2000 | Paul May | Troublemakers | | Transworld | Finalist |
| 2000 | Stephen Pots | Hunting Gumnor | | Egmont | Finalist |
| 2000 | Louise Rennison | Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging | | Piccadilly Press | Finalist |
| 2001 | Marcus Sedgwick | Floodland | Fiona Kennedy | Orion Books | Winner |
| 2001 | Nick Manns | Control Shift | | Hodder | Finalist |
| 2001 | William Nicholson | The Wind Singer | | Egmont | Finalist |
| 2001 | Hazel Riley | Thanis | | Oxford University Press | Finalist |
| 2002 | Sally Prue | Cold Tom | Liz Cross | Oxford University Press | Winner |
| 2002 | Emma Barnes | Jessica Haggerthwaite: Witch Dispatcher | | Bloomsbury Publishing | Finalist |
| 2002 | Adele Minchin | The Beat Goes On | | Women's Press | Finalist |
| 2002 | Bali Rai | (Un)arranged Marriage | | Corgi | Finalist |
| 2002 | Philip Reeve | Mortal Engines | | Scholastic | Finalist |
| 2003 | Kevin Brooks | Martyn Pig | Barry Cunningham | The Chicken House | Winner |
| 2003 | Julia Bell | Massive | | Pan Macmillan | Finalist |
| 2003 | Patricia Elliott | Ice Boy | | Hodder | Finalist |
| 2003 | Richard MacSween | The Firing | | Andersen Press | Finalist |
| 2003 | Simon Mason | The Quigleys | | David Fickling Books | Finalist |
| 2003 | Livi Michael | Frank and the Black Hamster of Narkiz | | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2003 | Nicky Singer | Feather Boy | | HarperCollins | Finalist |
| 2004 | Mal Peet | Keeper | Paul Harrison | Walker Books | Winner |
| 2004 | Steve Augarde | The Various | | David Fickling Books | Finalist |
| 2004 | Graham Gardner | Inventing Elliot | | Dolphin | Finalist |
| 2004 | Julie Hearn | Follow Me Down | | Oxford University Press | Finalist |
| 2004 | L. S. Matthews | Fish | | Hodder | Finalist |
| 2004 | Eleanor Updale | Montmorency | | Scholastic | Finalist |
| 2005 | Meg Rosoff | How I Live Now | Rebecca McNally | Puffin Books | Winner |
| 2005 | Alison Allen-Gray | Unique | | Oxford University Press | Finalist |
| 2005 | Cathy Cassidy | Dizzy | | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2005 | Frank Cottrell-Boyce | Millions | | Macmillan | Finalist |
| 2005 | John Dougherty | Zeus on the Loose | | Random House | Finalist |
| 2005 | Michelle Paver | Wolf Brother | | Orion Books | Finalist |
| 2005 | Leslie Wilson | Last Train from Kummersdorf | | Faber | Finalist |
| 2006 | Frances Hardinge | Fly By Night | Ruth Alltimes | Macmillan Children's Books | Winner |
| 2006 | Nicola Davies | Home | | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2006 | Joshua Doder | A Dog Called Grk | | Andersen Press | Finalist |
| 2006 | Ann Kelley | The Burying Beetle | | Luath Press | Finalist |
| 2006 | Anthony McGowan | Hellbent | | Doubleday | Finalist |
| 2006 | Sarah Singleton | Century | | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2006 | Cat Weatherill | Barkbelly | | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2007 | Siobhan Dowd | A Swift Pure Cry | David Fickling and Bella Pearson | David Fickling Books | Winner |
| 2007 | Linda Buckley-Archer | Gideon the Cutpurse | | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2007 | Charlie Fletcher | Stoneheart | | Hodder | Finalist |
| 2007 | Ally Kennen | Beast | | Scholastic | Finalist |
| 2007 | Sian Pattenden | The Awful Tale of Agatha Bilke | | Short Books | Finalist |
| 2007 | Andy Stanton | You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum | | Egmont | Finalist |
| 2007 | Tabitha Suzuma | A Note of Madness | | Random House | Finalist |
| 2008 | Jenny Downham | Before I Die | David Fickling | David Fickling Books | Winner |
| 2008 | Atinuke | Anna Hibiscus | | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2008 | L. Brittney | Nathan Fox: Dangerous Times | | Macmillan | Finalist |
| 2008 | Sharon Dogar | Waves | | The Chicken House | Finalist |
| 2008 | Sarah Mussi | The Door of No Return | | Hodder | Finalist |
| 2008 | Jenny Valentine | Finding Violet Park | | HarperCollins | Finalist |
| 2009 | B. R. Collins | The Traitor Game | Emma Matthewson | Bloomsbury Publishing | Winner |
| 2009 | Emily Diamand | Flood Child | | The Chicken House | Finalist |
| 2009 | Marie-Louise Jensen | Between Two Seas | | Oxford University Press | Finalist |
| 2009 | Katy Moran | Bloodline | | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2009 | Patrick Ness | The Knife of Never Letting Go | | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2009 | Sally Nicholls | Ways to Live Forever | | Scholastic | Finalist |
| 2009 | Jeremy de Quidt | The Toymaker | | David Fickling Books | Finalist |

### 2010s

| Year | | Title | Editor(s) | Publisher | Result |
| 2010 | Lucy Christopher | Stolen | Imogen Cooper | The Chicken House | Winner |
| 2010 | Sarwat Chadda | Devil's Kiss | | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2010 | Damian Kelleher | Life, Interrupted | | Piccadilly Press | Finalist |
| 2010 | Anna Perera | Guantanamo Boy | | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2010 | Dan Tunstall | Big and Clever | | Five Leaves | Finalist |
| 2010 | Rachel Ward | Numbers | | The Chicken House | Finalist |
| 2010 | Victor Watson | Paradise Barn | | Catnip | Finalist |
| 2011 | Jason Wallace | Out of Shadows | Charlie Sheppard | Andersen Press | Winner |
| 2011 | J P Buxton | I am the Blade | Beverley Birch | Hachette | Finalist |
| 2011 | Keren David | When I Was Joe | Maurice Lyon | Frances Lincoln | Finalist |
| 2011 | Candy Gourlay | Tall Story | Bella Pearson | David Fickling Books | Finalist |
| 2011 | Gregory Hughes | Unhooking the Moon | Roisin Heycock | Quercus | Finalist |
| 2011 | Pat Walsh | The Crowfield Curse | Imogen Cooper | The Chicken House | Finalist |
| 2012 | Annabel Pitcher | My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece | Fiona Kennedy | Orion Books | Winner |
| 2012 | Lindsey Barraclough | Long Lankin | Annie Eaton and Natalie Doherty | Bodley Head | Finalist |
| 2012 | Phil Earle | Being Billy | Shannon Park | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2012 | Lissa Evans | Small Change for Stuart | Annie Eaton and Ruth Knowles | Bodley Head | Finalist |
| 2012 | Ali Lewis | Everybody Jam | Charlie Sheppard | Andersen Press | Finalist |
| 2012 | Gill Lewis | Sky Hawk | Liz Cross | Oxford University Press | Finalist |
| 2012 | Irfan Master | A Beautiful Lie | Emma Matthewson | Bloomsbury Publishing | Finalist |
| 2013 | Dave Shelton | A Boy and a Bear in a Boat | David Fickling | David Fickling Books | Winner |
| 2013 | S. D. Crockett | After the Snow | Emma Young | Macmillan | Finalist |
| 2013 | Natasha Farrant | The Things We Did for Love | Julia Heydon-Wells | Faber | Finalist |
| 2013 | Edward Hogan | Daylight Saving | Mara Bergman | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2013 | Wendy Meddour | A Hen in the Wardrobe | Janetta Otter-Barry | Frances Lincoln | Finalist |
| 2013 | Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil | Black Arts | Simon Mason | David Fickling Books | Finalist |
| 2013 | Lydia Syson | A World Between Us | Sarah Odedina | Hot Key Books | Finalist |
| 2014 | C. J. Flood | Infinite Sky | Venetia Gosling | Simon & Schuster | Winner |
| 2014 | Natasha Carthew | Winter Damage | Rebecca McNally | Bloomsbury Publishing | Finalist |
| 2014 | Rob Lloyd Jones | Wild Boy | Mara Bergman and Lucy Early | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2014 | Julie Mayhew | Red Ink | Emily Thomas | Hot Key Books | Finalist |
| 2014 | Ross Montgomery | Alex the Dog and the Unopenable Door | Rebecca Lee and Susila Baybars | Faber | Finalist |
| 2014 | Fletcher Moss | The Poison Boy | Imogen Cooper and Barry Cunningham | The Chicken House | Finalist |
| 2014 | Holly Smale | Geek Girl | Lizzy Clifford | HarperCollins | Finalist |
| 2015 | Rosie Rowell | Leopold Blue | Katie Thomas | Hot Key Books | Winner |
| 2015 | Sara Crowe | Bone Jack | Charlie Sheppard and Eloise Wilson | Andersen Press | Finalist |
| 2015 | Clare Furniss | The Year of the Rat | Jane Griffiths | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2015 | Giancario Gemin | Cowgirl | Kirstie Stansfield | Nosy Crow | Finalist |
| 2015 | Sally Green | Half Bad | Ben Horslen | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2015 | Non Pratt | Trouble | Annalie Grainger and Denise Johnstone-Burt | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2015 | Rupert Wallis | The Dark Inside | Jane Griffiths | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2016 | Horatio Clare, illus. by Jane Matthews | Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot | Penny Thomas | Firefly Press | Winner |
| 2016 | David Hofmeyr | Stone Rider | Ben Horslen and Tig Wallace | Penguin Random House | Finalist |
| 2016 | Will Mabbitt, illus. by Ross Collins | The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones | Ben Horslen | Penguin Random House | Finalist |
| 2016 | David Solomon | My Brother is a Superhero | Kirsty Stansfield | Nosy Crow | Finalist |
| 2016 | Ross Welford | Time Travelling with a Hamster | Nick Lake | HarperCollins Children’s Books | Finalist |
| 2016 | Lisa Williamson | The Art of Being Normal | Bella Pearson | David Fickling Books | Finalist |
| 2017 | M. G. Leonard | Beetle Boy | Barry Cunningham and Rachel Leyshon | The Chicken House | Winner |
| 2017 | Peter Bunzi | Cogheart | Rebecca Hill | Usborne | Finalist |
| 2017 | Amber Lee Dodd | We Are Giants | Niamh Mulvey | Quercus | Finalist |
| 2017 | Sue Durrant | Little Bits of Sky | Kirsty Stansfield | Nosy Crow | Finalist |
| 2017 | Stewart Foster | The Bubble Boy | Rachel Mann | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2017 | Kiran Millwood Hargrave | The Girl of Ink and Stars | Rachel Leyshon | The Chicken House | Finalist |
| 2017 | Martin Stewart | Riverkeep | Shannon Cullen and Sharyn November | Penguin Random House | Finalist |
| 2018 | Mitch Johnson | Kick | Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker | Usborne Publishing | Winner |
| 2018 | Yaba Badoe | A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars | Fiona Kennedy | Head of Zeus: Zephyr | Finalist |
| 2018 | Sharon Cohen | The Starman and Me | Sarah Lambert | Quercus Children’s Books | Finalist |
| 2018 | Chloe Daykin | Fish Boy | Leah Thaxton | Faber | Finalist |
| 2018 | Elys Dolan | Knighthood for Beginners | Clare Whitston and Elv Moody | Oxford University Press | Finalist |
| 2018 | Tony Mitton | Potter's Boy | Anthony Hinton | David Fickling Books | Finalist |
| 2018 | Jacob Sager Weinstein | The City of Secret Rivers | Gill Evans | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2019 | Muhammad Khan | I Am Thunder | Lucy Pearse | Macmillan Children's Books | Winner |
| 2019 | Sophie Anderson | The House with Chicken Legs | Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker | Usborne | Finalist |
| 2019 | P. G. Bell | The Train to Impossible Places | Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker | Usborne | Finalist |
| 2019 | Mel Darbon | Rosie Loves Jack | Sarah Stewart | Usborne | Finalist |
| 2019 | Rowena House | The Goose Road | Mara Bergman | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2019 | Matt Killeen | Orphan Monster Spy | Sarah Stewart and Kendra Levin | Usborne | Finalist |
| 2019 | Onjali Q Raúf | The Boy at the Back of the Class | Lena McCauley | Orion Books | Finalist |

### 2020s

| Year | | Title | Editor(s) | Publisher | Result |
| 2020 | Liz Hyder | Bearmouth | Sarah Odedina | Pushkin Children's Books | Winner |
| 2020 | Humza Arshad and Henry White | Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties | Sharan Matharu and Holly Harris | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2020 | Katya Balen | The Space We're In | Lucy Mackay-Sim | Bloomsbury Publishing | Finalist |
| 2020 | Aisha Bushby | A Pocketful of Stars | Liz Bankes and Sarah Levison | Egmont | Finalist |
| 2020 | Holly Jackson | A Good Girl's Guide to Murder | Lindsey Heaven | Electric Monkey | Finalist |
| 2020 | Jamie Littler | Frostheart | Naomi Colthurst | Puffin Books | Finalist |
| 2020 | Emma Smith-Barton | The Million Pieces of Neena Gill | Naomi Colthurst | Penguin Books | Finalist |
| 2021 | Struan Murray | Orphans of the Tide | Ben Horslen | Puffin Books | Winner |
| 2021 | Kereen Getten | When Life Gives You Mangoes | Sara Odedina | Pushkin Press | Finalist |
| 2021 | Finbar Hawkins | Witch | Fiona Kennedy | Zephyr | Finalist |
| 2021 | Danielle Jawando | And the Stars Were Burning Brightly | Jane Griffiths | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2021 | Manjeet Mann | Run, Rebel | Carmen McCullough | Penguin Books | Finalist |
| 2021 | Elle McNicoll | A Kind of Spark | Eishar Brar | Knights Of | Finalist |
| 2021 | Jenny Pearson | The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates | Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker | Usborne | Finalist |
| 2022 | Maisie Chan | Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths | Georgia Murray | Piccadilly Press | Winner |
| 2022 | Natasha Bowen | Skin of the Sea | Carmen McCullough and Tricia Lin | Penguin Books | Finalist |
| 2022 | Femi Fadugba | The Upper World | Emma Jones, Stephanie Stein, and Asmaa Isse | Penguin Books | Finalist |
| 2022 | Luke Palmer | Grow | Penny Thomas | Firefly Press | Finalist |
| 2022 | Lesley Parr | The Valley of Lost Secrets | Zoë Griffiths | Bloomsbury Publishing | Finalist |
| 2022 | Ros Roberts | Digger and Me | Ella Whiddett and Ruth Bennett | Little Tiger | Finalist |
| 2022 | Helen Rutter | The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh | Lauren Fortune | Scholastic | Finalist |
| 2022 | Nadia Shireen | Grimwood | Ali Dougal | Simon & Schuster | Finalist |
| 2023 | Christine Pillainayagam | Ellie Pillai is Brown | Leah Thaxton | Faber | Winner |
| 2023 | Kel Duckhouse | The Bones of Me | Harriet Birkinshaw | Flying Eye Books | Finalist |
| 2023 | Louise Finch | The Eternal Return of Clara Hart | Siobhán Parkinson | Little Island Books | Finalist |
| 2023 | Caryl Lewis, illus. by George Ermos | Seed | Sarah Hughes | Macmillan Children’s Books | Finalist |
| 2023 | Ann Sei Lin | Rebel Skies | Gráinne Clear | Walker Books | Finalist |
| 2023 | Nadia Mikail | The Cats We Meet Along the Way | Bella Pearson | Guppy Books | Finalist |
| 2023 | J P Rose | The Haunting of Tyrese Walker | Chloe Sackur | Andersen Press | Finalist |
| 2023 | Yarrow Townsend | The Map of Leaves | Rachel Leyshon | The Chicken House | Finalist |