Debbie Antwi and Aisha Stoll are the first-place winners of this year’s FAB Prize for text and illustration. The winners were announced at an award ceremony yesterday evening, which took place at The Bindery with a keynote speech from writer, illustrator and FAB Prize alumni, Ramsey Hassan. The first of its kind in the UK, the FAB Prize aims to discover and showcase new talent from creatives of colour, closing the gap between what is currently published and the reality for many families.

Debbie Antwi won the text prize for her submission The Munchkins. The judges said: ‘The Munchkins stood out for its humour and originality. Children reading for pleasure is such a priority and stories like this remind us of the important part fun and silliness have to play.’

Aisha Stoll, first place illustration winner, submitted a selection of illustrations, which the judges described as ‘stunning, stylish and sumptuous. We loved the focus on nature with colours that brought her subjects off the page.’

Second place for the text prize was awarded to Andrea White for her submission Deity of a Drowning Realm. The judges commented ‘Deity of A Drowning Realm was a refreshing take on familiar tropes. We wanted to see more of this world that had been so beautifully woven together’.

Rose Anthony was awarded second place for the illustration prize, the judges said: ‘Rose’s black and white illustrations were so arresting. We were immediately drawn to her characters and the depth of emotion each conveyed. We wanted to know their story!’

Ama Badu, FAB Prize judge said: ‘We were blown away by the remarkable talent we saw this year. Each of our shortlisted entries showed originality and flair. They are the future of storytelling and our rising stars. I cannot wait to see what they go on to achieve.’

Lucy Bannerman, FAB Prize guest judge and journalist said: ‘It has been an absolute joy reading these entries. They have been, by turns, edgy, comic, poignant, challenging. Some have taken us to lush fantastical places in the future, others have transported us back to hidden places in the past. Many wrestled with the big questions of the present in funny and surprising ways. Each of them had something special. Congratulations to all.’

John-Paul Kunrunmi, FAB Prize guest judge and social media creator said: ‘This was my first time judging a book prize and it was harder than I thought it would be. There was so much good writing to choose from! I had to look at everything twice before whittling down my options. All the shortlisted writers and artists have a love for their craft and I’m super excited for the young adult and children’s books to come.’

First prize winners each receive a cash prize of £1,500, a place on a Faber Academy writing course (text), a one-year membership to the AOI (illustration) and the opportunity to shadow already established authors and illustrators on virtual school visits thanks to the support of BookTrust. All shortlistees will see their work included in a bespoke booklet that Faber sends out to agents in the industry.  

The FAB Prize is run by Faber and is also supported by BookTrust and the AOI who both offer incredible opportunities to FAB Prize entrants and winners.

Now in its eighth year, the judges for this year’s prize were Leah Thaxton (Faber Publisher); Emma Eldridge (Faber Art Director); Ama Badu (Faber Assistant Editor); and guest judges, award-winning The Times journalist Lucy Bannerman and social media creator, John-Paul Kunrunmi (@jpreads6).

FAB Prize alumni include award-winning authors Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Jasbinder Bilan and Tọlá Okogwu; Janelle McCurdy whose debut novel Mia and the Lightcasters was shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards and Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize; World Book Day illustrator Allen Fatimaharan;Kereen Getten, whose debut novel When Life Gives You Mangoes was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize; Aisha Bushby, whose A Pocketful of Stars was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award; Poonam Mistry, who has been shortlisted three times for the Kate Greenaway Medal; Ravena Guron, author of This Book Kills, the bestselling new YA thriller of 2023 and shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, and several new and exciting authors and illustrators, such as Burhana Islam, Abeeha Tariq, Tomi Oyemakinde, Sarah Christou, Shirley Hottier and Rachel Faturoti. In addition, at least seventy FAB alumni now have agents and more than 175 books have now been published (or acquired by publishers) from FAB alumni.

2024 FAB PRIZE WINNERS

First Place Text Prize Winner

Debbie Antwi is a Partnership Coordinator & Senior Youthworker from South London. Debbie grew up in a busy flat from ages 7–11, and when she wasn’t playing, she could be found reading a book behind her living room door or helping her cousins with their reading. Her love of children’s books, specifically The Falcon’s Malteaser, led to her studying a Master’s in Children’s Literature at University of Roehampton.

First Place Illustration Prize Winner

Aisha Stoll (I-e-sha) is based in Hertfordshire, where she’s been illustrating for a few years. If she had to describe her work in a few words, she would say: textured, warm, inviting and magical. Aisha’s work is inspired by the children’s books she read growing up, namely about Caribbean folklore and fairytale stories. Her interests lie in pattern, evening landscapes and a starry sky.

Second Place Text Prize Winner

Andrea White is a speculative fiction writer and educator born to Caribbean Windrush generation parents, based in the South East. Her writing centres marginalised voices, examining themes of decolonisation, identity and belonging, and is driven by her core belief that, as Maya Angelou said, ‘Human beings are more alike than unalike’. The manuscript won the 2023 Jericho Writers Self Edit Bursary, an Arts Council Develop Your Creative Practice Award and First Runner-Up in the Mo Siewcharran Prize 2024. When not writing, Andrea enjoys beach walks, travelling and world cuisine.

Second Place Illustration Prize Winner

Rose Anthony is an illustrator and visual artist from Kochi, India. She is currently pursuing a MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. She draws inspiration from both personal experiences and archival research to redefine visual narratives. Her works explore themes of culture, identity, and gender. Liberation begins in the imagination.

Publisher’s Prize Art Winner

Circle Lok Ling Yuen is a Hong Kong-born, UK-based author-illustrator of children’s books,​ whose work powerfully explores themes of family, resilience, and social justice. Holding an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art, Circle’s storytelling is recognized for its profound emotional resonance and its sensitive approach to complex issues such as family separation and mental health. During her studies, she co-launched Today is Friday: A Story of Living Apart, Time Together, a picture book series addressing family restructuring and co-parenting in Asia, which earned a longlist in the​ Unpublished Picturebooks Showcase 3. Her work, The Hiding Kite: A Story of a Family​ Storm, was further recognized as a finalist for the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition 2024​ and showcased at NAE OPEN 2024 at the New Art Exchange Gallery, underscoring her commitment to impactful and inclusive storytelling for young readers.

Publisher’s Prize Text Winners

Munira Jannath has a degree in English Literature and has taught in primary and secondary schools across East London. It was while working with children with special needs that she began writing and telling stories to support their learning. These stories always celebrated the diversity of her classroom and her life growing up. Munira loves to tell stories with funny and strong-headed protagonists.

Maram Ahmed is an award-winning Writer, Director and Producer. Maram’s experience of existing at the cross section of multiple identities informs her work, which provides a nuanced lens into race, identity and marginalized struggles. In 2024, Maram was selected for the inaugural Pan Macmillan/Black British Book Festival Writers on the Rise programme and the BBC Writers Voices programme. In 2023, Maram’s script was shortlisted for the prestigious BAFTA Rocliffe TV drama competition and was selected for the BBC Writersroom Hot House Development Lab – a lab for scripted long form TV and feature film projects about climate change.

Highly Commended Text Prize Winners

Chi Ukata
Dannielle Monero
Gurpreet Atwal
Helen Crevel
Huong Nguyen
Marjorie Papalambrou
Martin Byrne
Meena Mistry
Paula David
Paula Sampson-Lawrence
Roshni Gallagher
Sophie Lau
Taylor Edmonds
Vivian Wijaya

Highly Commended Art Prize Winners

Abinaya Kamalanathan
Giorgia Sugarman
Lady Moira Barcenilla
Lauren Pencil
MiaoYin Lien
Natasha Taroghion Budd
Sarah Ushurhe

Commended Text Prize Winners

Alice Charles
Eileen Gbagbo
Iyetomi Adenekan
Janice Ince-Rodriguez
Katrina Macapagal
Laila Sumpton
Lia Be
Lola Pereira
Marsha Fagbayi
Michelle Anjirbag-Reeve
Sayan Akaddas Kent
Serena Pascall

Comended Art Prize Winners