The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (LOLLIES) celebrate the best and funniest children’s books in the UK and Ireland and were set up by Scholastic UK in 2015 after the withdrawal of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Funny books are often overlooked by other awards but can play an important role in encouraging children to become readers.

As of 2022, and in the wake of the demise of the Blue Peter Book Awards, the number of award categories has been expanded to include:

• Picture Books
• Books for 6-8 year-olds
• Books for 9-13 year-olds
• Poetry books
• Non-fiction Books
• Books for Teen and Young Adults
• Illustrator of the Year

A shortlist of four titles for each of the three categories is selected by a panel of experts, but the winners are voted for by children across the country.

See the shortlisted titles for the LOLLIES 2023 here.

Timetable:

• The shortlists for the new expanded categories were in January 2023.
• Young people will be able to vote for their favourite title in each category until 12th May 2023.
• The winners will be announced in the summer term.

Cost: Free.

About Scholastic UK: Scholastic UK is part of Scholastic Coporation, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books.