Previous awards

Caroline Carpenter is Children's Editor and Deputy Features Editor at the book-trade magazine The Bookseller, where she also chairs the YA Book Prize. She joined The Bookseller through a Creative Access internship in 2013, following publishing internships and a stint at The Voice newspaper. Outside of her job, she is a co-host on the children's books podcast 'Down the Rabbit Hole', and a published author.

Stella Hine As a mixed-heritage and painfully shy child, reading and books were always my refuge, my joy, my freedom, and never more so than through the two years of lockdown and Black Lives Matter in 2020–2022. During this period, I was privileged to be a Yoto Carnegie and Kate Greenaway judge, probably the pinnacle of my professional life. Social justice has been at the heart of my career which I started as a librarian, continued as a teacher and, recently, completed the circle by becoming a college librarian. Being able to contribute to the publishing world by promoting new voices at this time is a huge honour.

Simone Taylor is Assistant Editor at Scholastic Children's Books UK. After short stints at Nosy Crow and Collins Learning, Simone joined Scholastic in 2019, first working across both fiction and picture books — including working on books by Dav Pilkey, Catherine Coe, Remi Blackwood, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler — before moving to a full-time role in the picture books team. As Assistant Editor, Simone works across novelty, activity and picture books. She is especially keen to nurture underrepresented voices and creative talent to ensure the industry reflects the society that we live in.

Abiola Bello is an award-winning, children's and YA author. She wrote her first novel at the age of eight and began writing the Emily Knight saga at the age of 12. Abiola's books have been Carnegie nominated. She was also a finalist for The People’s Book Prize in 2019 (children’s category), winner of London’s BIG READ 2019 and has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The i Paper and The Bookseller. Abiola was the first Black person to win The London Book Fair’s Trailblazer Awards in 2018. 

Rachael Davis is a children’s author and book reviewer. Her debut picture book, I am NOT a Prince (Hachette), is illustrated by Beatrix Hatcher. Rachael also writes reading-scheme books; recent titles include How to Fight Fear and Feel Strong with Yoga (HarperCollins). Rachael began reviewing via her blog, Picture Book Perfect, in 2018. She particularly likes to showcase books with diverse main characters and participates regularly in blog tours for major publishers. 

Ebony Lyon is the founder of Formy Books, an independent publishing company established in 2020. Prior to this, she worked in the commercial side of trade publishing for over 15 years. Ebony is focused on increasing positive Black representation in children’s literature and amplifying Black creative talent. She is passionate about improving inclusivity within the publishing industry so that it better reflects the UK population.

Sara Jafari works as an editor at Penguin Random House Children’s. She works across young fiction all the way to young adult non-fiction, and with authors such as Priscilla Mante, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Savannah Brown and Megan Rix. In her spare time, Sara also writes and runs her own literary and arts print magazine, TOKEN, which features artwork and stories from under-represented writers and artists. 

Joe Marriott is Editorial Director for picture books at Puffin, Penguin Random House Children’s. He works with a team of designers and editors making picture books, board books and novelties for babies and children aged 2–6, both stories and illustrated non-fiction. He is always on the lookout for texts and ideas (and illustrations) that are funny, clever, surprising and heart-warming. 

Alice Sutherland-Hawes has been an agent for six years, most recently at the Madeleine Milburn Agency and before that with Hilary Delamere at The Agency (London) Ltd. She works with bestselling and award-winning creators including Radiya Hafiza, Kereen Getten and Poonam Mistry, to name a few, and is excited to be involved in the Jericho Prize!