The NE Teen Book Award (NETBA)  was set up in 1999 due to popular demand; schools wanted a similar programme to the prestigious Carnegie Greenaway Book Awards to engage and challenge readers but one which was closer to home, one where our young people could make their own voices heard while discovering exciting new authors and maybe meet those authors for themselves.

The aim of our YA award remains the same as it was 25 years ago when we started off with just 3 (very enthusiastic!) schools; we want to make our young people more aware of the quality and variety of exciting writing out there, to celebrate and support both established and up and coming authors and to create opportunities for the authors to meet their avid readers.