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

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

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 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, Order of the British Empire, 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'', ''Boohbah'' ...

* 1970,

Kaye Webb Kathleen ("Kaye") Webb (26 January 1914 – 16 January 1996), was a British editor and publisher. She has been called an "enormously influential children's editor" and "brilliant as an innovator of highly successful marketing strategies". S ...

* 1971, Margaret Meek * 1972, Janet Hill * 1973, Eleanor Graham * 1974, Leila Berg * 1975, Naomi Lewis * 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 executive, television, and radio producer who specialises in children's programmes and animated films. Early life Whitby read History at St Anne's College, Oxford, and, after graduating, ...

* 1980, Dorothy Butler * 1981, Margaret Marshall and Virginia Jensen * 1982,

Aidan Chambers Aidan Chambers (27 December 1934 – 11 May 2025) was a British author of children's and young-adult novels. He won both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Printz Award for '' Postcards from No Man's Land'' (1999). For his "lastin ...

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 * 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, MBE, librarian and author * 1995, Helen Paiba, author and bookseller * 1996,

Books for Keeps ''Books for Keeps'' is a British online magazine covering children's books.Michael Rosen, 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 ...

* 2000, Julia Eccleshare, journalist * 2001,

Amelia Edwards Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards (7 June 1831 – 15 April 1892), also known as Amelia B. Edwards, was an English novelist, journalist, traveller and Egyptologist. Her literary successes included the ghost story ''The Phantom Coach'' (1864), the nov ...

, art director * 2002,

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

, author * 2003, Miriam Hodgson, editor * 2004,

Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (' Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for tackling realistic topics such as adoption and divorce. Since her debut novel in 1969, ...

, author * 2005, Malorie Blackman, author * 2006, Wendy Cooling founder of Bookstart * 2007, Jane Nissen, publisher * 2008,

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, educator and editor,

School Library Association The School Library Association (SLA) is an independent organization in the United Kingdom which promotes library, libraries and literacy in schools. The SLA was founded in 1937 and is based at Kembrey Park in north-eastern Swindon. It is a chari ...

* 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 l ...

, illustrator and author * 2013,

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

, author * 2014, Polka Theatre, children's theatre * 2015,

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

, 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

Children's Book Circle: Eleanor Farjeon Award
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218100559/http://www.childrensbookcircle.org.uk/pages/the-eleanor-farjeon-award , date=2020-02-18 1966 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1966 British children's literary awards Literary awards honoring lifetime achievement