The Carnegie Medal and Changing Attitudes to Children's Book Prize Culture in Britain, 1936-1996
Fiona Bradbury
Abstract
This article argues that the Carnegie Medal evolved over sixty years from being an honorary agent of literary quality to an architect of cultural commerce; that the prize, though inherently still seeking to reward “outstanding” children’s fiction, has shifted to a less conscientious outlook, being unafraid to recognise innovation in children’s publishing, harnessing controversy as a means of beneficial publicity and surviving due to the surprising fluidity of its initially vague prize-giving criteria.
Fiona Bradbury
Abstract
This article argues that the Carnegie Medal evolved over sixty years from being an honorary agent of literary quality to an architect of cultural commerce; that the prize, though inherently still seeking to reward “outstanding” children’s fiction, has shifted to a less conscientious outlook, being unafraid to recognise innovation in children’s publishing, harnessing controversy as a means of beneficial publicity and surviving due to the surprising fluidity of its initially vague prize-giving criteria.
