The Eleanor Farjeon Award is made for distinguished service to the world of British

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

and is given to someone whose commitment and contribution is deemed to be outstanding. Founded in 1966, it is presented annually in memory of the celebrated author Eleanor Farjeon (1881–1965). The spirit of the award is to recognise the unsung heroes who contribute so much to every aspect of children's books. The award is administered by the

Children's Book Circle The Children's Book Circle (CBC) is a not-for-profit organisation, founded in 1962, that supports the British children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for ch ...

and sponsored by the Eleanor Farjeon Trust.

Winners

* 1966, Margery Fisher * 1967, Jessica Jenkins * 1968, Brian Alderson, author, compiler and editor * 1969,

Anne Wood Anne Wood, CBE (born 18 December 1937) is an English children's television producer, responsible for creating shows such as ''Teletubbies'' with Andrew Davenport. She is also the creator of '' Tots TV'' and ''Rosie and Jim''. She was a recipie ...

* 1970,

Kaye Webb Kathleen ("Kaye") Webb (26 January 1914 – 16 January 1996), was a British editor and publisher. She was a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award. Early life and education Kathleen Webb was born in Chiswick, London, in 1914, the second of ...

* 1971, Margaret Meek * 1972, Janet Hill * 1973,

Eleanor Graham Eleanor Graham (9 January 1896, in Walthamstow, England – 8 March 1984, in London) was a book editor and children's book author. She worked for Muriel Paget's aid mission in Czechoslovakia before becoming an editor for publishers Heinemann an ...

* 1974,

Leila Berg Leila Berg (12 November 1917 – 17 April 2012) was an English children's author. She was also known as a journalist and a writer on education and children's rights. Berg was a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award. Biography Berg was brought u ...

* 1975,

Naomi Lewis Naomi Lewis (3 September 1911 – 5 July 2009) was a British poet, essayist, literary critic, anthologist and reteller of stories for children. She is particularly noted for her translations of the Danish children's author, Hans Christian An ...

* 1976, Joyce Oldmeadow and Court Oldmeadow, booksellers and founders of Dromkeen Collection, Australia * 1977, Elaine Moss * 1978, Peter Kennerley * 1979,

Joy Whitby Joy Whitby (born 27 July 1930) is an English television producer and executive who has specialised in children's programmes during her career. Early life Whitby read History at St Anne's College, Oxford, and, after graduating, her first job was ...

* 1980,

Dorothy Butler Muriel Dorothy Butler (née Norgrove, 24 April 1925 – 20 September 2015) was a New Zealand children's book author, bookseller, memoirist and reading advocate. She was a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award. Personal life Butler was born in ...

* 1981, Margaret Marshall and Virginia Jensen * 1982, Aidan Chambers and Nancy Chambers * 1983, Jean Russell * 1984, Shirley Hughes, author and illustrator * 1985, Bob Leeson, writer * 1986, Judith Elkin * 1987, Valerie Bierman * 1988, National Library for the Handicapped Child * 1989,

Anna Home Anna Margaret Home ( ; born 13 January 1938) is an English television producer and executive who worked for most of her career at the BBC. Early career After graduating from Oxford University, where she read Modern History at St Anne's Colle ...

* 1990, Jill Bennett, illustrator * 1991, Patricia Crampton * 1992, Stephanie Nettell, Children's Book Editor of The Guardian 1978-92 * 1993, Susan Belgrave, MBE, Founder and President of Volunteer Reading Help * 1994,

Eileen Colwell Eileen Hilda Colwell (16 June 1904 – 17 September 2002) was a pioneer children’s librarian, "the doyenne of children's librarianship in Great Britain". Life Born at The Manse, Robin Hood’s Bay, Fylingdales, near Whitby in North Yorkshir ...

, MBE, librarian and author * 1995, Helen Paiba, author and bookseller * 1996, Books for Keeps * 1997,

Michael Rosen Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. Early life Michael Wayne Ro ...

, author * 1998, Gina Pollinger * 1999, Klaus Flugge, publisher,

Andersen Press Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen "because it is easier to pronounce and spell than Flugge". Random House has a holding in the company and a s ...

* 2000,

Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare MBE (born 1951) is a British journalist and writer on the subject of children's books. She has been Children's Books editor for '' The Guardian'' newspaper for more than ten years, at least from 2000. She is also an editorial co ...

, journalist * 2001, Amelia Edwards, art director * 2002,

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...

, author * 2003, Miriam Hodgson, editor * 2004, Jacqueline Wilson, author * 2005, Malorie Blackman, author * 2006, Wendy Cooling, founder of Bookstart * 2007, Jane Nissen, publisher * 2008, Chris Brown, educator and editor, School Library Association * 2009, Moira Arthur, former Managing Director of Peters Bookselling Services * 2010,

Seven Stories Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian ...

, the Centre for Children's Books * 2011, The Federation of Children's Book Groups * 2012,

Quentin Blake Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his ...

, illustrator and author * 2013,

David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children and young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and one of three from the UK, to win the bie ...

, author * 2014,

Polka Theatre Polka Theatre is a children’s theatre in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, for children aged 0– 13. The theatre contains two performance spaces - a 300-seat main auditorium and a 70-seat studio dedicated to early years performances. Polka ...

, children's theatre * 2015,

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...

, author, awarded posthumouslyChildren's Book Circle: The 2015 Eleanor Farjeon Award
/ref> * 2016, John Agard, poet and playwright * 2017, Keats Community Library * 2018,

Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo (''né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as '' War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelli ...

, author * 2019, CLPE, the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education

References

External links

{{Portal , Children's literature
Children's Book Circle: Eleanor Farjeon Award
1966 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1966 British children's literary awards Literary awards honoring lifetime achievement