Atlas of Adventures Wins UK's Only Educational Writing Award

1 December 2015

Writer Rachel Williams and illustrator Lucy Letherland have won the 2015 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award with their book Atlas of Adventures.

The £2,000 prize was presented by Ed Vaizey MP, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, at the House of Commons on 1 December. Vaizey said he was ‘delighted to support this award which rewards inspiring educational writing for children’.

Williams and Letherland beat an outstanding shortlist of non-fiction titles exploring subjects ranging from animal food chains and space to the First World War and maths. Atlas of Adventures (Wide Eyed Editions) follows a boy and girl as they visit over 30 destinations across seven continents. The judges praised the book, saying:

This is a beautifully designed, durable and hugely informative book, packed full of vibrant colour, and fascinating information and activities from countries around the world. Offering an experience not found on the internet, its roller coaster ride of a journey will encourage children across the primary school age groups to find out more about the world we live in.

The Educational Writers’ Award was established in 2008 by the Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society and the Society of Authors in order to ‘celebrate educational writing that inspires creativity and encourages students to read widely and build up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements of exam specifications.’

The 2015 Award focused on books for 5-11 year olds, published in 2013 and 2014. This year’s judges were school librarian Caroline Gosden; headteacher Michael Schumm; and author Cath Senker.

2016 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award

The 2016 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award will be for titles published during 2014 and 2015 for the 11-18 age group. Full details and entry forms