The Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) and the Society of Authors (SoA) are delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2023 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s only award for educational writing that inspires creativity, encourages students to read widely and builds up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements of exam specifications.
The five outstanding shortlisted books for readers aged 5–11 years encourage young readers to think about the role of art in historical social movements; understand our world by imagining it were just 100 people; learn about themselves through genetics; find out about the plastic crisis and what can be done; and answer their questions about racism.
This year’s judges are award-winning author Antinuke, primary school teacher Imogen Thomas, and critic, author and children’s book consultant Jake Hope.
The winner of the 2023 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award will be announced at a reception at Goldsmiths’ Centre in London on 22 February 2024. The winning author and illustrator/designer will share a prize of £2,000.
Shop the shortlist on our Bookshop.org store. Any commission made from sales of books on Bookshop.org will go towards the Authors’ Contingency Fund.
The shortlist
Art of Protest
Author: De Nichols
Illustrators: Theo Dagadita, Olivia Twist, Raul Oprea, Molly Mendoza, Diego Becas
Publisher: Templar (Bonnier Books UK)
From Keith Haring to Extinction Rebellion, the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter, what does a revolution look like? With an emphasis on design, Art of Protest analyses artworks from historical movements to understand how colour, symbolism, technique, typography and much more play an important role in communication.
If The World Were 100 People
Author: Jackie McCann
Illustrator: Aaron Cushley
Publisher: Red Shed
There are more than 8 billion humans living on Earth, but it’s difficult for us to picture so many people. To help put things in perspective, the book imagines the whole planet is a village where 100 people live – each person representing around 80 million people in the real world. What does this global village of 100 people look like?
You are 25% Banana
Author: Susie Brooks
Illustrator: Joe Bloggs
Publisher: Red Shed
This hilarious introduction to genetics aimed at children aged 5 years and over explains how we are made and how we relate to every living thing on the planet. The book brims with thought-provoking facts such as: a grain of rice has more genes than you; we’re related to dogs, dung beetles and even daffodils; and that we’re 99.9% genetically similar to chimpanzees!
See Inside Why Plastic Is a Problem
Author: Matthew Oldham, Lizzie Cope
Illustrator: Spencer Wilson
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
This vividly illustrated book is packed with flaps that explain how plastic is made, what’s bad (and sometimes good) about different types of plastic, and the many ways it can cause harm to our rivers, oceans and wildlife. And there are lots of ideas for cutting down on your own reliance on plastic, too. The book was created with expert input from Plastic Oceans UK, a leading campaign and education group all about the problem of plastic.
Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about Racism
Author: Jordan Akpojaro
Illustrator: Ashley Evans
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
From ‘What’s wrong with the idea of ‘race’? and ‘Why is life harder for people with darker skin?’ to ‘Don’t ALL lives matter?’ and ‘What’s racism got to do with me?’ this book tackles powerful, pertinent questions in a direct, accessible and thought-provoking way. Discover why racism is everyone’s problem to solve, and how we can all be part of the solution.