The Three Categories

There are three awards each with a separate shortlisting panel. The panels will reflect a range of professionals working with young people in our schools and in our local community. Each panel will be considering books which reflect the diverse and exciting nature of our two boroughs.

Longlisting will take place before Christmas based on the criteria outlined below. At the beginning of the spring term the panels will further deliberate and announce a shortlist of three or four books in each category.

During the spring term it will be for the children across our two boroughs to read and enjoy the shortlisted books and then decide on their favourites and the winner of the Spark! Award in each category. This will be announced in our online ceremony in May.

Please view our dedicated age group pages for more information on the books submitted and the panel members.

Is there someone in your school who would be interested in joining our shortlisting panel? We have vacancies for up to 3 teachers in each category.

Please complete the form available at the link below.

Thank you to everyone who applied to be on our short-listing panels - the form is now closed. We are now considering the submissions and will get back to all applicants soon.

Shortlisting panel form

Award Criteria

Our choice of books for the shortlists are intended to develop pupils’ and teachers’ knowledge of quality literature and authors, influence the reading culture and develop an appreciation of the craft of writing. We are looking for lively texts that reflect the diverse and exciting nature of our boroughs.

Our shortlisted books will have the page-turning quality that will appeal to a wide range of readers. They will reflect the diversity across our borough and allow children to see reflections of themselves, their families and the relationships within them.

We are looking to select books that children will be able to access independently, although we expect titles to appeal equally to the wider school community of teachers, parents and beyond.

We recognise that not all the criteria below will be appropriate for every book. However, they should be taken as a guide to help our assessment. Shortlisting teams will look for a best-fit judgement.

Style

Where the book uses humour, it is inclusive and respectful?

Does the book:

create a vivid world or experience for the reader?
use well-crafted and well-chosen language?
have a distinctive narrative voice?

Theme

Does the book:

consider themes which challenge and motivate the reader?
provoke thought; providing a link to the reader's lived experience or current issues, but reveal fresh perspectives?
raise broader themes for reader consideration in a way that is both accessible and engaging?

Narrative

Does the book have:

a cohesive narrative; providing a resolution that is credible in relation to the rest of the text?
believable, multi-dimensional characters that develop and grow in the course of the text?
characters with whom the diverse members of our borough community can identify?
a narrative that moves readers away from the expected?

Illustrations

Where illustrations are used:

are they creative and distinctive?
will the design and images have an impact on the reader?
do they enrich understanding and meaning?
do they combine with the text to make an aesthetically pleasing whole?

The books chosen will have heart. As our name suggests, we want to shortlist books that SPARK a response from readers and stay in their minds long after they have finished - books that they will wish to revisit.

Above all, the choices we make should make reading an exciting and enjoyable experience for the young people of Kingston and Richmond.