Ken Wilson-Max has a boastful career as an illustrator and as a publisher of TWO publishing houses, AlannaMax and as of November 2021, HarperCollins. Wilson-Max founded AlannaMax in 2017 after having spent the last 25 years writing and illustrating children’s books. A champion for bettering diversity in books, Ken makes an excellent judge for the Woke Babies Book Awards.

BookTrust’s Rykesha Hudson makes a brilliant addition to the awards. Through her work with BookTrust Represents, she has championed black creatives and worked hard to better representation in children’s books. She has an Instagram book review page where she shines a spotlight on inclusive and diverse picture books.

As the early years programme manager for National Literacy Trust, Kirsty is an expert in children’s literature. Through her work she has worked on projects to support communities. A supporter of bridging the inequality gap in children’s literature, she makes a brilliant and welcome addition to the Woke Babies Book Awards.

Representing Woke Babies, Natasha Vignon spends her days sourcing black children’s books. She knows what to look out for when it comes to fun, positive children’s books.

As a part of World Book Day, Kate Sayer is immersed in children’s books and the importance of them reflecting the society we live in. She understands that inclusive and diverse children’s books help broaden children’s opportunities. She makes a fantastic judge for the Woke Babies Book Awards.

Publisher at DK, Francesca Young makes a brilliant judge for the awards. An expert in her field, she knows exactly what to be looking for when finding inspiring, engaging and fun children’s books.

Yorkshire-born author, Trish Cooke published her first children’s book in 1989. Since then she has published 22 books, including So Much, Zoom and the Hairytales series, the latter published by Woke Babies. She also has experience working in children’s television as one of the original writers of CBBC show Tweenies.

Her immersive storytelling has inspired generations of children. Her hard work and dedication to diversifying children’s literature makes her an excellent judge for the Woke Babies Book Awards.

Art Director, Elorine Grant’s expertise makes her a wonderful addition to the awards. She has worked on the bestselling books from author, David Walliams. Her successes prove her to be a brilliant judge, from a book’s first conception to publication.

Author and founder of Storymix, Jasmine Richards makes an excellent addition to the awards panel. She has worked in children’s publishing for over 15 years and written over a dozen books for children, ranging from picture books to teen fiction. Storymix focuses on putting children of colour front and centre in stories with inclusive casts of characters, through its creative projects. She is always seeking to work with new voices to offer an apprenticeship for minoritised writers and illustrators and create a pathway to being published.

Marvyn Harrison founded Dope Black Dads in 2018 with the aim to create safe spaces for black families and since then has dedicated his time to creating opportunities for the black community. Publishing his first children’s book later this year, Marvyn makes an excellent judge for the Woke Babies Book Awards.

Literary agent, Sallyanne Sweeney joined Mulcahy Sweeney in 2013 and has gone on to grow an impressive client list including award-winning author and illustrator, Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola. Her commitment to inspiring diverse children’s books makes her a brilliant judge.

A former nursery manager and a qualified teacher, Liz Pemberton is a fantastic addition to the Woke Babies Book Awards.
Working in a nursery where the children were predominantly from an African-Caribbean background, Liz is a campaigner for better representation and she knows that starts through the books we read.