Winners have been named for this year's Jericho Prizes, which honor new Black-British writers of children's picture books. The Bookseller reported that Sebrina O'Connor's Dou Dou's Brave took the award for Best Picture Book Script (ages 3-7), while Best Baby & Toddler Script (ages 1-3) went to Ronke Owoeye's This One? That One!. Each winner receives £1,250 (about $1,680) from partners Hachette Children's Group and a 12-month membership to the Society of Authors.
Jericho Prize founder and director Fabia Turner said: "Sebrina and Ronke are both incredibly talented writers whose work reminds us why the Jericho Prize must continue to exist. I'm so incredibly proud of them and all eight of this year's finalists for sharing their beautiful stories with the world, which takes a lot of courage when you are new to this industry. I hope this is the start of great things for them all. I'm excited to see what happens next."
Amy Anderson, editorial director of picture books at Hachette Children's Group, commented: "The Jericho Prize does such wonderful work in championing and developing emerging Black-British writers, and Fabia's commitment to the award makes it a true highlight of the children's publishing calendar. Congratulations to Sebrina and Ronke, who are both incredibly talented and wonderful winners--their texts, and all the finalists', are so strong and filled with warmth and heart. They were a complete joy to read."
Sarah Satha, co-founder of the literacy charity Inclusive Books for Children, which provided grant-funding for this year's awards, added: "Every year, the Jericho Prize shines a light on a new pool of talented and driven Black-British aspiring children's authors. In this way, they provide the crucial missing link between publishers, who know they have a diversity problem and want to do better, and new writers keen to break into the industry. Huge congratulations to this year's shortlisted authors, and especially to the winners, on their brilliant scripts."