YA Book Prize 2025: Judges Announced!

Almond, Matuluko and Wadey will certainly choose the YA Book Prize 2025 champion from a 10-strong shortlist to be revealed in June 2025 along with EIBF’s colleges and kids programme director Rachel Fox, with input from adolescent visitors. The panel will be chaired by The Bookseller’s children’s and deputy features editor, Caroline Carpenter.

Meet the Judges for 2025

Wadey, that is the youngsters’s bookseller at independent bookshop Booka based in Oswestry, Shropshire, added: “I am so thrilled to be on the YA Book Reward judging panel for 2025. I can’t wait to read this year’s shortlist!” As running a number of youngsters’s publication clubs including Publication Dragons for teenagers, Wadey is included in picking Empathy Laboratory’s titles for secondary pupils and supports young people at the Attfield Young People Theatre in her spare time.

Northumberland-based Almond is the writer of a number of books, including his launching Skellig, which won the Carnegie Medal in 1998, and A Song for Ella Grey, which was on the first-ever YA Publication Prize shortlist; he has additionally composed a number of well as photo books, radio programs and plays. She commented: “Not only do I really feel honoured, I feel extremely flattered to be able to evaluate the YA Book Reward 2025. Wadey, that is the kids’s bookseller at independent bookshop Booka based in Oswestry, Shropshire, added: “I am so thrilled to be on the YA Book Prize judging panel for 2025.

Prize Details and Significance

The reward, run by The Bookseller magazine in partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF), commemorates the very best YA fiction titles from the UK and Ireland. The champion of this year’s ₤ 2,000 honor will certainly be introduced in an online event at EIBF on Thursday 21st August 2025.

Acclaimed children’s and young person (YA) author David Almond OBE has actually signed up with the judging panel for the YA Book Reward 2025, alongside fellow writer and BookToker Busayo Matuluko and children’s bookseller Sian Wadey.

Northumberland-based Almond is the writer of numerous books, including his launching Skellig, which won the Carnegie Medal in 1998, and A Track for Ella Grey, which was on the first-ever YA Publication Prize shortlist; he has likewise composed a variety of well as image books, radio programmes and plays. He is emeritus teacher of creative creating at Bathroom Medspa College and was granted an OBE for solutions to literature in 2021. He stated: “It’s an honour to be included with this important reward. Publications for young people are at the heart of our society. I’m truly anticipating being stunned and happy by what shows up.”

Matuluko is a registered nurse and award-nominated BookToker whose launching YA secret ‘Til Death was released by Simon & Schuster Children’s UK in January 2025. She commented: “Not just do I feel honoured, I really feel incredibly flattered to be able to judge the YA Book Prize 2025. I have been reading YA because probably prior to I was even permitted to, so this is a full circle moment for me.”