Children’s Laureate Wales

The current Children’s Laureate Wales is poet Alex Wharton   

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Children’s Laureate Wales

Founded in 2019, the role of Children’s Laureate Wales is awarded every two years to a talented and visionary Wales-based writer who is passionate about ensuring more children and young people discover the joy and well-being benefits of engaging with literature.

The current Children’s Laureate Wales is poet Alex Wharton, the third to be appointed to the role.   

Alex’s appointment was announced on 2 June, 2023, during an event at Hay Festival alongside his predecessor, Children’s Laureate Wales 2021- 2023, Connor Allen. Alex will be in the role until August 2025, working hard to share the power of poetry: making it accessible, fun, and relevant to children and young people across Wales.  

Who is Alex?

Alex Wharton is an award-winning writer and performer of poetry for adults and children. His First Book of poetry for children, Daydreams and Jellybeans, was shortlisted for the Wales Book of The Year Award 2022, The North Somerset Teacher’s Book Awards, The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards and was named as a National Poetry Day Recommended Read. Alex won the Rising Stars Wales Award in 2020, held by Literature Wales and Firefly Press. He has collaborated with key national organisations such as Cadw, National Dance Company Wales, Welsh Government, British Council of Literature and Welsh Libraries, and has also appeared in festivals such as Hay Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival. Alex’s second and third collections of poetry Doughnuts Thieves and Chimpanzees (Nominated Carnegie Medal for Writing 2025) and Red Sky at Night Poet’s Delight (Longlisted for Jhalak Children’s and YA Prize 2025) were also published with Firefly Press in 2023 and 2024. 

Exploring the magic of language

As Children’s Laureate Wales, Alex will invite children and young people to explore the magic and playfulness of language, learning how this artistic and creative expression can enhance how we live, feel, imagine, create, and communicate; making them feel understood and inspired by the joy and freedom of writing. He is also interested in combining poetry with other artistic disciplines; collaborate with and share the work of other Welsh writers; and illuminate the wonders of our natural world. 

What does the role do?

The Children’s Laureate Wales is committed to:  

  • Expanding children and young people’s access to literature, in particular children and young people from marginalised and under-represented backgrounds  
  • Improving children and young people’s physical and mental health and well-being through literature
  •  Increasing children and young people’s enjoyment of literature  
  • Empowering children and young people through creativity 

The Children’s Laureate Wales keeps busy by:  

  • Running poetry workshops inside and outside of the classroom  
  • Penning official poems to mark special occasions and campaigns which are of interest to children and young people  
  • Creating online creative resources for children and young people to enjoy   
  • Championing the voices of Wales’ children and young people nationally and internationally

How to get in touch?

For further information, visit the Literature Wales website, or get in touch on childrenslaureate@literaturewales.org  

Want to learn more about Literature Wales' work?

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