Michael Rosen is the current Children's Laureate. His two-year appointment comes to an end this year, so who will be the new Laureate for 2009-2011?
The role of Children's Laureate, which has a bursary of £10,000, is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. The illustrator Quentin Blake was the first Children's Laureate (1999-2001), followed by the author Anne Fine (2001-2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005-7) and most recently Michael Rosen (2007-2009).
The selection panel for the award is changed every two years, and the judges will consider nominations by children as well as from a range of organisations representing librarians, critics, writers and booksellers. Children and adults can suggest any living British writer or illustrator of children's books – the deadline for nominations is 31 January 2009. To find out more about the Children's Laureate and Michael Rosen's activities, visit the Laureate website.
