Isn’t it exciting for parents and librarians to know which Indian children’s books are nominated for awards? Well, the Binod Kanoria (BK) children’s book awards nominations are out there for you. It’s an exciting time for young readers, parents and educators!
Children’s literature occupies a special and important place in the world of literature. Let’s jump to the long list of selected books in each category. From this list, the jury shortlists titles before they announce the winners.
The categories
According to thebkawards Instagram profile and website, these are the categories.
- Early Readers – English (6-8 years)
- Hindi Early Readers (6-8 years)
- Middle-Grade English (9-13 years)
- Young Adult English (13 + years)
- Illustrations in Hindi and English in picture books and early readers
The separate jury for English, Hindi and illustrations are eminent personalities in their field.
Also read: Ways to improve reading comprehension in beginner readers.
Early Reader (English) Long List Nominated Books for 2023
Mari’s March by Lavanya Kartik
Rockstar in a Sari by Pearl D’Silva
Who Clicked That Pic? By Nandita Da Cunha
Keshav’s Kolam by Keshav Kolam
My Grandmother Can’t Cook by Indu Balachandran
Roshan’s Road to Music by Mamta Nainy
Looking for Inspiration by Mamta Nainy
The Girl Who Loved Words by Lavanya Kartik
I Am Fierce, Yes I Am by Natasha Sharma
Shore Walk by Yuvan Aves
Where I Belong by Nandita Da Cunha
Hindi Early Reader Long List Nominated Books
Parchayi ka Khel by Indu Nayar
Rejisthan Mein Bus by Prabhat
Paani Dhar Dhar Barse by Sushil Shukla
Talab Ke Kinare by Soniya Agariya
Khajane Vala Tapu by Mamta Naini
Middle Grade (English) Long List Nominated Books 2023
After Midnight by Meghaa Gupta
A Conspiracy in Calcutta by Lesley D. Biswas
Stories of Trees from India by Katie Bagli
Our Wiggly Friends Earthworms by Sultan Ahmed Ismail
Jamuna Begs to Differ by Priti David
Lost in Translation by Jyoti Shinoli
Tara and the Friendship Theorem by Chitra Soundar
Gobi Goes Viral by Vibha Batra
The Incredible Life of Savitribai Phule by Swati Sengupta
Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds by Vaishali Shroff
100 Great Chronicles of Indian History by Gayatri Ponvannan
Abindranath House of Stories by Likla Lal
Ramanujan from Zero to Infinity by Arundhati Venkatesh
Munni Monster by Madhurima Vidyarthi
Batata, Pao and all Things Portuguese by Vaishali Shroff
Young Adults Category Long List Nominated Books for 2023
Up the Mountains of India by Mala Kumar
Her Name was Freedom by Anu Kumar
My Name is Cinnamon by Vikas Prakash Joshi
The Sometimes River and Remember Remember by Nayantara Nayar and Amulya B
The Vanguards of Azad Hind by Gayatri Ponvannan
Miracles for the Maharaja by Aditi Krishna Kumar
District Cup by Mallika Ravikumar
The Prophecy by Payal Dhar
Illustrations Category Long List Nominations
Tenacity with Dada Saheb Phalke by Neeti Banerji
Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Mould by Shivam Choudhary
Parvati the Elephant’s Very Important Day by Tanya Vyas
Who Clicked That Pic? By Priya Kurian
Lady Tarzan, Jamuna Takes a Stand by Rajiv Eipe
Maithili and the Minotaur by Rajiv Eipe
Forests of the Forgotten Fears by Rajiv Eipe
So Many Leaves by Barkha Lohia
The Weather Report by Vishnu M. Nair
I am Fierce, Yes I am by Nirzara Verlurkar
A Tree of My Own by Barkha Lohia
Where is Mr. Thookam by Janan Abir
Jhupli’s Honey Box by Shivam Choudhary
As per the information given out officially by them, the long list was out on 10th September 2023, the Short List announcement on 1st October and the winners announcements on 13th October 2023.
Know more about Binod Kanoria (BK) Children’s Book Awards
Stories and illustrations are essential components of children’s literature. Children’s lives are enriched by storybooks that are original, creative and of high quality.
Language and literature improve life and academic skills, including analytical thinking and reading comprehension, while also delighting with beautiful words.
Over the past few decades, Indian children’s publishing has produced outstanding material. However, these children’s books, authors and illustrators are hardly known.
Nowadays, more than ever, children ought to be encouraged to read and be exposed to literature which introduces fresh perspectives and helps them understand the world.
The Binod Kanoria Awards for Children’s Literature honours original writing and illustration. The awards were started by Nirbhay and Mansi Kanoria in honour of their grandfather, Mumbai businessman Shree Binod Kanoria, who adored children and reading.
These awards acknowledge the important role of writers and illustrators in the arena of Indian children’s literature and motivate them to strive for good work. Moreover, regional literature in regional languages is encouraged.
What is the award in the BK children’s book awards?
As per their Instagram page, there is an award ceremony at Mumbai’s Tata Lit Live Event, in which the winners are felicitated. According to the bkawards website, the winners in each category are honoured with a citation, a medal, and a monetary reward of Rs. 50,000.
There are various categories, as mentioned above, in which the awards are conferred.
The Jury for BK children’s book awards
There is an esteemed panel of jury members for illustrations and books in English and Hindi.
For English language books, the jury comprises
- Fearless, award-winning author Ms Paro Anand.
- Innovative, visionary, founder and director of Bookworm (Goa) Ms Sujata Noronha.
- Children’s author Ms. Uma Krishnaswami with 25 books to her credit, translated into 14 languages, and teaches writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, USA.
- A passionpreneur and co-founder of Trilogy, a curated bookshop and library, and a writer/editor of newspaper/magazine feature articles, Ms. Ahalya Naidu.
- Editor and award-winning author Ms Himanjali Sankar.
- Writer, poet, editor and teacher, Ms Sampurna Chattarji.
Jury for Hindi language books BK children’s book awards
- Linguist, educationist and educational/editorial advisor Dr Mukul Priyadarshini.
- Educationist, teacher, editor, and author Mr Manoj Kumar.
- Prolific author, poet, author/playwright, and screenplay writer Mr Udayan Vajpeyi.
Jury for illustrations in BK children’s book awards
- An award-winning prolific writer, illustrator of more than 30 children’s books and academician, Ms. Deepa Balsavar.
- Renowned, award-winning artist and animator, storyteller and teacher, Ms.Nina Sabnani.
- Award-winning illustrator, and graphic designer Ms. Proiti Roy.
Also read: Shortlist for illustrations in BK Children’s Books Awards
Conclusion
After reading this article, you have learnt more about the Binod Kanoria (BK) Children’s Book Awards. The winners will be announced on 13th October 2023.
This is the second edition of the awards in 2023. The first edition was held in November 2022. There is anticipation and suspense around any awards and when children are the stakeholders, you can only imagine the excitement among the young readers.
It’s akin to opening a treasure box full of surprises with delightful stories to read, retell and create memories. Illustrations to observe and imagine the story as it proceeds.
Awards make the audience focus on reading and appreciating books. Additionally, the awards recognise, acknowledge and encourage English and Hindi language authors and illustrators in children’s literature in India.
By now, you know the titles selected by the esteemed jury of the Binod Kanoria (BK) Awards for Children’s Literature 2023. This article is meant to create excitement and buzz around Indian children’s book awards.