Winner of the 2022 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award Announced
What’s The T? by Juno Dawson illustrated by Soofiya is winner of the 2022 ALCS Educational Writers’ Award, the UK’s only award for creative educational writing.
Published by Wren & Rook and created for young people aged 14+, What’s the T? is a no-nonsense guide to all things trans and/or non-binary.
The 2022 judging panel – author, Sita Brahmachari; secondary school science teacher, Sean Chuhan; and secondary school librarian, Melissa Craig – praised the winning book for being hugely informative and written in a way that will appeal to a wide audience, saying, ‘Juno Dawson and Soofiya have produced something incredibly special with this book. It is a fantastic guide, not just for young people who may be exploring their own identity and sexuality, but for anyone seeking to understand transgender and non-binary issues. With a powerful charge of optimism and lived experience, it is witty and funny without being flippant, and practical without being dull. We can see it becoming an influential book indeed, with the power to open minds and hearts’.
The result was announced by poet Karl Nova at the ALCS Annual Awards ceremony at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London. Juno Dawson and Soofiya share prize money of £2,000.
Two runners-up were also announced at the ceremony: Musical Truth: A Musical Journey Through Modern Black Britain, by Jeffrey Boakye and illustrated by Ngadi Smart, praised as, ‘an extraordinary read, which made our hearts sing’ by the judges; and The Place For Me: Stories About The Windrush Generation, by KN Chimbiri, Kevin George, Salena Godden, Judy Hepburn, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Jermain Jackman, Kirsty Latoya, Katy Massey, EL Norry, Quincy the Comedian, Dame Floella Benjamin, and illustrator, Joelle Avellino. The judges called the collection ‘an invaluable resource which encourages young people to consider the power of their own voices’. The Place For Me was produced in partnership with the Black Cultural Archives and as a prize for being a runner-up, ALCS donated £500 to the Black Cultural Archives.
The ALCS Educational Writers’ Award was established in 2008 by ALCS and the Society of Authors, to celebrate 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 shortlist in full:
Musical Truth A Musical Journey Through Modern Black Britain Jeffrey Boakye, illus Ngadi Smart, Faber
What’s the T?, Juno Dawson illus Soofiya, Wren & Rook
A Rebel in Auschwitz The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Fought the Nazis From Inside the Camp by Jack Fairweather, Scholastic
The Art of Drag by Jake Hall, illus Sofie Birkin, Helen Li & Jasyot Singh Hans, Nobrow
Silence Is Not an Option You Can Impact the World for Change by Stuart Lawrence, designRichard Smith, Scholastic
The Place For Me: Stories About the Windrush Generation by KN Chimbiri, Kevin George, Salena Godden, Judy Hepburn, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Jermain Jackman, Kirsty Latoya, Katy Massey, EL Norry & Quincy the Comedian. Illustrator and designer Joelle Avellino & Richard Smith, Scholastic
