Baby and book prize make it an eventful week for Satomi
Northern illustrators rewarded
A new children’s book prize took its first public bow in Newcastle with a ceremony in the appropriate setting of Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books, which is currently celebrating its 21st anniversary.
It was a lovely event and an encouraging one for northern authors and illustrators who might have been feeling a bit out of things.
Emma Layfield, who co-founded the Children’s Books North Network (CBNN) Prize with two colleagues and in partnership with New Writing North, has been feeling their pain.
She told the audience that class and geography presented “serious obstacles” for authors and illustrators based in the North.
“The further they are away from the London bubble the more hurdles there are to overcome,” she said.
The hope was that the CBNN Prize would help to create a “less London-centric literary ecosystem” by focusing on northern picture book authors and illustrators.
Originally from Burnley, Emma spent 25 years in London publishing before moving back up north to help set up Hachette’s Manchester office.
In 2020, with two others, she set up the Children’s Books North Network and two years ago founded her own agency which represents picture book authors and illustrators from across the North.
The new prize, announced in 2025, will focus on illustrators and authors in alternate years.
In this inaugural year it attracted sponsorship from Arts Council England, Simply Books, Manchester Metropolitan University and Emma’s own Children’s Books North Agency.
Emma said when she moved from London she missed the networking opportunities that didn’t seem to exist in the North.
With the Children’s Books North Network she had set out to rectify that, organising talks and social gatherings in Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and elsewhere.
For this year’s competition, entrants had to create three double page spreads to illustrate an as-yet-unpublished story called Fabulous Frank by bestselling children’s writer Corrinne Averiss.
She was at Seven Stories to read it aloud in suitably dramatic fashion.
The inaugural winner of the competition is Japanese illustrator Satomi Yamamiya who lives in Gateshead.
Her prize package includes £2,000, expert feedback, introductions to key industry professionals and ongoing support through New Writing North.
Satomi couldn’t be present because she had just had a baby. She sent a message saying entering the competition had helped her through terrible morning sickness during her pregnancy.
The judges praised her work inspired “by joyful colours, small everyday moments and childhood nostalgia”.
High commended was Lauren Sharples, based in Leeds, who receives £1,000 plus a similar package.
Emma said she and the judges had been “absolutely blown away” by the quality of the entries and all those shortlisted would receive a mentoring programme, “which we feel is the most important part of the prize”.
Also shortlisted were Lauren Hubbert (County Durham), Matilda Robertson (Northumberland), Kate Muldowney (Burnley) and Anna Billington (Lancashire).
The winners’ certificates were presented by judge Lydia Monks, a children’s book illustrator based in Sheffield, with Satomi’s collected by Manchester-based illustrator Carly Gledhill who will be her mentor.
Will Mackie, senior programme manager at New Writing North, said the organisation was proud to be a CBNN Prize partner.
“It’s crucial, more than ever, to support the creation of children’s books that reflect the richness, depth and variety of our culture,” he said.