CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards 2007

CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards are presented annually in recognition of excellence in writing and or illustration of books for young people.  The 2007,seventeenth CBI Awards Judging Panel was chaired by Dr Mary Shine Thompson (St Patrick’s College).

Dublin born author, John Boyne has won the CBI Bisto Book of the Year 06/07 for his book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.  The Eilis Dillon Award went to Siobhan Dowd, author of A Swift Pure Cry.

Three CBI Bisto Honour Awards (€2,000 & framed certificate) were also presented to: Oliver Jeffers, author and illustrator of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Eilis Ni Dhuibhne for Hurlamaboc and Siobhan Parkinson for Something Invisible.

Also shortlisted for the awards were Jon Berkeley for The Palace of Laughter, Eoin Colfer for Artemis Fowl & the Lost Colony, illustrator P.J. Lynch for A Christmas Carol, Colman O Raghallaigh for An Tain and Kate Thompson for The Fourth Horseman.

This year 140 schools, from around the country, took part in a Shadowing Scheme.  They chose their own overall winner from the shortlist. San Carlo Senior Primary School, Leixlip, Co Kildare and Scoil Cholmcille, Skyrne, Co Meath, were both picked to attend the CBI Bisto Awards ceremony and meet the shortlisted authors and illustrators. San Carlo agreed with the judges' verdict, choosing The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as their favourite, while Scoil Cholmcille chose the Eoin Colfer book, Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony.

'What an exciting year its been for childrens’ literature in Ireland! I’ve seldom seen so rich a haul of fine, beautifully produced books. It is gratifying to know that Irish writers and illustrators are now attracting the international attention they deserve.' said Mary Shine Thompson.  A whopping one third of the publications from Ireland in the competition were in the Irish language.  From a total of 85 books, 14 are in the Irish language (16% of total number of nearly 33% of Irish publishers); 45 are published in Ireland  (53%); 32 are published in UK (38%); 1 was published in USA, and 1 in Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Tuesday May 22 2007