The KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards, previously known as the CBI Book of the Year Awards () and the Bisto Book of the Year Awards, are

literary award A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award c ...

s presented annually in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

to writers and illustrators of books for children and young people. The Awards are run by Children's Books Ireland (CBI) and are open to authors and illustrators born or resident in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

; books may be written in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

or Irish. Many bestselling, internationally renowned authors have won a "Bisto", including

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the ''Artemis Fowl'' series. In September 2008, Colf ...

John Boyne John Boyne (born 30 April 1971) is an Irish author, novelist, and writer. He is the author of sixteen novels for adults, six novels for younger readers, two novellas, and one collection of short stories. Boyne's historical novel '' The Boy in ...

and several times winner Kate Thompson. The awards were sponsored by Bisto (Premier Foods) from their inception."General Info: Bisto Book of the Year Awards – Leabhar-Ghradaim Bisto"]. October 2008. Children's Books Ireland. Archived 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2015-09-14. First awarded in 1990 (with the Book of the Decade Awards), there are currently seven prizes awarded: * The KPMG Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year Award * Honour Award for Fiction * Honour Award for Illustration * Eilís Dillon Award (for a first children's book) - named in honour of writer

Eilís Dillon Eilís Dillon FRSL (7 March 1920 – 19 July 1994) was an Irish author of 50 books. Her work has been translated into 14 languages.

* The Judges' Special Award * The Junior Juries' Award (previously the Children’s Choice Award) * The Reading Hero Award (awarded from 2020 onwards) - presented to a young reader, recognising their potential and celebrating their remarkable passion for books Previously the winner of Book of the Year won a perpetual trophy and €10,000; the 3 winners of the Merit Awards (the Honour Award for Illustration, the Honour Award for Writing, the Judges' Special Recognition Award) shared a combined prize fund of €6,000; the Eilís Dillon Award winner for first time writers also won a trophy and €3,000. Currently there is a €6,000 prize for the Children’s Book of the Year and a €2,000 prize each for the Honour Award for Fiction, the Honour Award for Illustration, the Eilís Dillon Award, The Judges' Special Award, and The Junior Juries' Award. In 2010, the Children's Choice award was introduced to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bisto Book of the Year Awards. It was chosen by 10 Junior Juries from all around Ireland, and was awarded to Jane Mitchell's ''Chalkline''. The Judges' Special Recognition Award was not awarded in 2010.

Past winners

Source: Children's Books Ireland

Book of the Year Award

Merit Awards

Éilís Dillon Award for a First Children's Book

Awards in discontinued categories

*Best Emerging Author (1991) – ''Brian Boru'' by

Morgan Llywelyn Morgan Llywelyn (born December 3, 1937) is an American-Irish historical interpretation author of historical and mythological fiction and historical non-fiction. Her interpretation of mythology and history has received several awards and has ...

O'Brien Press The O'Brien Press is an independent Irish publishing house based in Dublin. Founded in 1974 by Michael O'Brien, the company has become best known for its focus on children's literature and adult non-fiction. History The O'Brien Press emerged f ...

*Book for Young Readers (1991) – ''Grandma's Bill'' by

Martin Waddell Martin Waddell (born 10 April 1941) is a writer of children's books from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He may be known best for his picture book texts featuring anthropomorphic animals, especially the ''Little Bear'' series illustrated by Barbara ...

, Simon & Schuster *Illustration (1991) – ''Fairy Tales of Ireland'' by P. J. Lynch, Collins *Historical Fiction (1992) – ''Wildflower Girl'' by

Marita Conlon-McKenna Marita Conlon-McKenna (born 5 November 1956) is an Irish author of children's books and adult fiction. She is best known for her Famine-era historical children's book '' Under the Hawthorn Tree'', the first book of the ''Children of the Famine'' ...

*Picture Book (1992) – ''The Sleeping Giant'' by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Brandon Books *First Children's Novel (1992) – ''The Secret of the Ruby Ring'' by Yvonne MacGrory, Children's Press *Information Book (1993) – ''Tamall sa Chistin'' by Mairin Uí Chomain,

An Gúm An Gúm (, "The Scheme") was an Irish state company tasked with the publication of Irish literature, especially educational materials. The agency is now part of Foras na Gaeilge.

*Teenage Fiction (1993) – ''Put a Saddle on the Pig'' by Sam McBratney, Methuen *Historical Fiction (1993) – '' Strongbow'' by

Bisto Children's Book of the Decade (1980–1990)

Fiction: ''Run with the Wind''; ''Run to Earth''; ''Run Swift''; ''Run Free'' by Tom McCaughren, Jeanette Dunne (Wolfhound Press) Information Books: ''Exploring the

Book of Kells The Book of Kells (; ; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. 8 sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illustrated manuscript and Celts, Celtic Gospel book in Latin, containing the Gospel, four Gospels of the New Testament togeth ...

: Brendan the Navigator'' by

George Otto Simms George Otto Simms (4 July 1910 – 15 November 1991) was an archbishop in the Church of Ireland, and a scholar. Early life and education George Otto Simms was born on 4 July 1910 in North Dublin in Ireland to parents John Francis A Simms & Ott ...

, David Rooney (

) Books for Young Readers: ''Grandma's Bill'' by

, illus. Jane Johnson (Simon & Schuster) Irish Language: ''An Chanáil'' by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, transl. Bernadine Nic Ghiolla Phádraig

An Gúm An Gúm (, "The Scheme") was an Irish state company tasked with the publication of Irish literature, especially educational materials. The agency is now part of Foras na Gaeilge.

Winners of multiple awards

*Most Bisto Book of the Year Awards: Kate Thompson (4), Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick (4),

Siobhán Dowd Siobhan Dowd (4 February 1960 – 21 August 2007) was a British writer and activist. The last book she completed, '' Bog Child'', posthumously won the 2009 Carnegie Medal from the professional librarians, recognising the year's best book fo ...

(2), Chris Haughton (2) *Most Merit Awards:

Oliver Jeffers Oliver Brendan Jeffers (born 1977) is an Australian-born Northern Irish people, Northern Irish artist, illustrator and writer. He went to the integrated secondary school Hazelwood College, then graduated from the University of Ulster in 2001 ...

(9), Kate Thompson (3), P. J. Lynch (3) *Most Bisto Awards (total):

(10), Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick (10), Kate Thompson (7), P. J. Lynch (5),

Gerard Whelan Gerard Whelan (born 1957) is an Irish writer. Career overview Whelan was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, and has lived and worked in several European countries. After some time living in Dublin, he has returned to live in his native Wexfo ...

(4),

(4), Chris Haughton (4), Siobhán Parkinson (3), Éilis Ni Dhuibhne/Elizabeth O'Hara (3)

References

External links

* {{official , https://childrensbooksireland.ie/what-we-do/kpmg-childrens-books-ireland-awards Irish children's literary awards Awards established in 1990