Shortlist for 2024 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award
‘The very best of educational writing and illustration’
The Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) and the Society of Authors (SoA) have announced the shortlist for the 2024 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award. The Educational Writers’ Award is the UK’s only award for educational writing highlighting books that inspire creativity, encourage students to read widely and build up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements of exam specifications.
The five shortlisted books for ages 11-18, encourage young readers to think and learn about dating, relationships, and identity; respect and consent for teenage boys; forgotten histories and misrepresented stories; what it means to grow up queer; and how Britain’s imperial history still affects our lives today.
This year’s judges are School Library Services’ librarian Cassie Hands, primary school teacher Kevin Cobane, and novelist and short story writer Ardashir Vakil.
Kevin Cobane says, ‘Exploring issues such as identity, relationships, belonging, equality, inclusivity, sustainability, and our place in the world, each of the incredible books on this shortlist has the power and potential to inspire curiosity and creativity and help us to create a more empathic and compassionate world.’
The shortlist is:
Lessons From our Ancestors
Raksha Dave, illus Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong, Magic Cat Publishing
Lads: A Guide to Respect and Consent for Teenage Boys
Alan Bissett, Wren and Rook
How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone
Alex Norris, Walker Books
Queer Up: An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental Health
Alexis Caught, Walker Books
Sathnam Sanghera, Penguin Random House
The winners of the 2024 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award will be announced at a ceremony at Goldsmiths’ Centre in London on 20 February 2025, with the winning author and designer/illustrator sharing a £2000 prize.
