Established in 2010 in recognition of the high quality research in children’s literature at the Faculty of Education and Homerton College, this award for an outstanding Master’s thesis has been made possible through a generous donation by Jacqueline Wilson, one of the most popular children's books writers in the UK.

On January 23, 2018, Victoria Mullins received the 2017 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, Walt Disney’s World of Light and Shadow: The Legacy of German Expressionist Cinema in the Disney Princess Canon.

On November 29, 2016, Emma Joy Reay received the 2016 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, A Sense of the Game: Critical Ekphrasis of Children's Video Games.

On December 1, 2015, Anna Savoie received the 2015 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, Seeing Similarities to Overcome Differences: Opportunities for Empathy in Native American Adolescent Fiction. 

Annabel Leigh was the recipient of the 2014 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, From Golem to Cyborg; The Evolution of the Boundary Human in Children's Literature.

Sarah Hardstaff was the recipient of the 2013 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, Poachers and Scavengers: The Hidden Economy in Modern Children's Fiction.

Alison Leach was the recipient of the 2012 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MEd Thesis, A Study of Character Size in Roald Dahl's Fiction for Children.

Susan Tan was the recipient of the 2011 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, "Burn with Us": Sacrificing Childhood in The Hunger Games.

Clementine Beauvais was the recipient of the 2010 Jacqueline Wilson Award for her MPhil Thesis, Training the Philosopher-King: Platonic Education in the Harry Potter series.