The Moore Prize was established in 2015 to provide funds and recognition to authors who, through their work, contribute to the universality of human rights and to give a platform to human rights issues that are important in our current societies. This unique initiative is awarded annually, as chosen by a panel of judges whose own work focuses on human rights.

The Christopher G. Moore Foundation announces that it is delighted to announce the 2023 winners of their seventh annual literary prize honouring books that feature human rights themes. This year the Jury and the Moore Foundation Trustees would also like to recognise a remarkable book, written by a 12-year-old refugee from Ukraine, with a Special Prize for Young Authors: You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine by Yeva Skalietska (Bloomsbury Children’s Books).

Yeva’s moving diary, written daily as she lived through the first 12 days after the Russian invasion, poignantly illustrates how the war changed her young life forever. Writing for children her own age, Yeva’s book exhibits a maturity of thought and writing ability that is far beyond her years, displaying compelling insight into what conflict is like through the eyes of a child. It is a story the world needs to hear and is essential reading for adults and older children alike.

The Jury said: “We are delighted to recognise Yeva’s extraordinary book by awarding this Special Prize for Young Writers. Her story is universal, one that applies as much to Gaza or any war, as it does to what’s happening in Ukraine. It is an extremely poignant, relevant book, written in a way that personalises the conflict – as Yeva and her family faced the terror of fleeing and sheltering from the bombing. We enter her world from a child’s point of view, a world of school, friends and family. ‘You Don’t Know What War Is’ is a book that should be read and discussed by anyone who is interested in understanding the personal cost of current or future conflicts.”