LONGLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE CARNEGIES 2026

carnegies.co.uk | #Carnegies2026 | @CarnegieMedals

Tuesday 10^th February 2026: The Carnegies, the UK’s longest running and best loved book awards for children and young people, today announced their longlists for 2026. Independent publishers excel on the longlist, with the Medal for Illustration featuring a fresh line up of 17 artists longlisted for the very first time. Identity is a stand-out theme across both Medals, explored through class, family, precious relationships, wild journeys and meaningful connections with nature. Retellings, folklore and history are also frequently used to reflect on the present, and a notable collection of funny books for all ages also make a joyous addition to the longlist.

A total of 37 titles have been selected from 20 different publishers; 19 titles for the Carnegie Medal for Writing, and 19 for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration.

• The Medal for Writing longlist features 5 previous winners, with two authors up for a potential third win; Anne Fine first winning 37 years ago in 1989 and again in 1992, and Patrick Ness who won in 2011 and 2012. Recent triumphs from Jason Reynolds in 2021, a double Medal for Writing & Shadowers Choice win for Katya Balen in 2022, and Tia Fisher for her Shadowers’ Choice winin 2024 are also included in this acclaimed group.
• 3 longlisted writers have previously been shortlisted for the Medal for Writing; Kwame Alexander in 2019 & 2024, Brian Conaghan in 2015 & 2025, and Blessing Musariri in 2025. A further 4 longlisted writers that are also previous winners have been shortlisted for the Medal for Writing in years outside of their wins; Anne Fine in 2003 & 2014, Patrick Ness in 2009, 2010, 2016, & 2018, Jason Reynolds in 2019, and Katya Balen in 2023.
• 17 of the 19 illustrators for the Medal for Illustration are brand new to the Carnegie longlist, with 2 names appearing on previous shortlists: Steve McCarthy in 2024, and Kate Rolfe for her debut in 2025.
• 1 title is longlisted in both Medal categories, Fia and the Last Snow Deer written by Eilish Fisher and illustrated by Dermot Flynn. Flynn is also longlisted for the Medal for Illustration with The Faerie Isle written by Síne Quinn.
• British talent features strongly on the longlist, including Scottish author Brian Conaghan, Scottish illustrator Jill Calder, and Welsh author-illustrator Huw Aaron.
• Independent publishers dominate with 24 books longlisted from 13 different publishing houses, including small presses Fox & Ink Books, Floris Books, Guppy Books, Lantana, New Frontier Publishing, Old Barn Books, Oneworld Publications, Post Wave Children’s Books and Scallywag Press.
• Walker Books leads the field for publisher nominations with 6 titles longlisted across both Medals, holding the largest share in the Illustration category with 5 titles, over a quarter of the category longlist. Andersen Press follows with 5 longlisted titles, 3 for the Medal in Writing and 2 for Illustration. 

The Carnegies are managed by CILIP, the library and information association, and celebrate outstanding reading experiences in books for children and young people.  They are unique in being judged by librarians, with the Shadowers’ Choice Medal voted for by children and young people. The awards aim to spark a lifelong passion for reading by connecting more children with books that will change lives. To celebrate this mission and make the shadowing scheme more accessible, 2026 marks the piloting of a new age-inclusive longlist shadowing offer that will run alongside the established shortlist shadowing scheme. This development is designed to open Carnegie shadowing to all ages and provide more choice to groups taking part. The longlists were chosen from 127 nominations by the Judging Panel which includes 14 children’s and youth librarians from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group.

The 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist is (alphabetical by author surname):

• Black Star by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)
• Ghostlines by Katya Balen (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• Stealing Happy by Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• On the Wall by Anne Fine (Old Barn Books)
• Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (Penguin)
• Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher (Bonnier Books UK)
• Popcorn by Rob Harrell (Bonnier Books UK)
• The Boy I Love by William Hussey (Andersen Press)
• Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai (Head of Zeus)
• When It’s Your Turn for Midnight by Blessing Musariri (Head of Zeus)
• Birdy Arbuthnot’s Year of ‘Yes!’ by Joanna Nadin (Fox & Ink Books)
• Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Tim Miller (Walker Books)
• Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson (Usborne)
• Handle With Care by Louisa Reid (Guppy Books)
• Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds (Faber & Faber)
• Birdie by J. P. Rose (Andersen Press)
• Traumaland by Josh Silver (Oneworld Publications)
• The Spick and the Span by Pil Van Martin (HarperCollins Publishers)

The 2026 Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

• Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron (Penguin)
• Be Back Soon by Jenny Bloomfield, written Anna Wilson (Andersen Press)
• Coorie Doon by Jill Calder, written by Jackie Kay (Walker Books)
• The Playdate by Clara Dackenberg, written by Uje Brandelius, translated by Nichola Smalley (Lantana)
• The Endless Sea by Linh Dao, written by Chi Thai (Walker Books)
• The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough by Rébecca Dautremer, translated by Charis Ainslie (Post Wave Children’s Books)
• Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel illustrated & adapted by Aimée de Jongh, written by Golding William (Faber & Faber)
• Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Dermot Flynn, written by Eilish Fisher (Penguin)
• The Faerie Isle by Dermot Flynn, written by Síne Quinn (Walker Books)
• The Sleeper Train by Baljinder Kaur, written by Mick Jackson (Walker Books)
• Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (Pushkin Children’s Books)
• Beanie the Bansheenie by Steve McCarthy, written by Eoin Colfer (Walker Books)
• Freedom Braids by Oboh Moses, written by Monique Duncan (Lantana)
• The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please (HarperCollins Publishers)
• The Paper Bridge by Seng Soun Ratanavanh, written by Joelle Veyrenc, translated by Katy Lockwood-Holmes (Floris Books)
• Wiggling Words by Kate Rolfe (Macmillan)
• Don’t Trust Fish by Dan Santat, written by Neil Sharpson (Andersen Press)
• Higher Ground by Tull Suwannakit (New Frontier Publishing)
• Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel (Scallywag Press)

Stella Hine, Chair of Judges for The Carnegies 2026, said: “Hearty congratulations to the longlisted authors and illustrators. The judging panel debated fiercely, and we are delighted to present two wonderful, mould-breaking, and inclusive longlists offering rich opportunities for children and young people of all ages to engage in reading. An exciting and diverse range of language and illustration styles is represented, as well as an eclectic and vibrant mix of themes, viewpoints and settings. In this National Year of Reading 2026, these lists signpost excellent books, authors and illustrators offering a wide range of reading interests for established and new readers alike.”

Five previous winners are longlisted for the Medal for Writing, including two-time Medal winner Anne Fine, who first won in 1989. Her book, On the Wall, is a warm novel aboutmoments of stillness in a busy, anxious world. Another two-time Medal winner is Patrick Ness, longlisted for his zany illustrated fiction, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, starringa young monitor lizard learning to understand the world. More recent winners on the longlist include Katya Balen for Ghostlines,an emotive tale of a girl’s deep connection to her island, Tia Fisher for her verse novel that explores consent and teen pregnancy in Not Going to Plan, and Jason Reynolds for Twenty-Four Seconds from Now, a tender story about a young man’s feelings in the lead up to losing his virginity.

Identity and relationships are strong themes throughout this year’s longlist, with a particular focus on family in Medal for Illustration longlisted picture book, Coorie Doon, illustrated by Jill Calder withblown ink pastels to reflect the dreamy Scottish lullaby shared between father and daughter. Blessing Musariri’s Medal for Writing shortlisted story, When It’s Your Turn for Midnight, is a rich exploration of life in Zimbabwe with generational bonds at its heart. Whilst these stories are about biological family, it’s the importance of friendship and found family that is central in Pil Van Martin’s wildly imaginative debut The Spick and the Span.For older readers, Louisa Reid’s YA novel, Handle with Care, explores the impact on relationships during a teen pregnancy. Class identity is also a key theme explored on both longlists, with Clara Dackenberg’s use of space in The Playdate emphasising the class divide between two families in the Medal for Illustration. On the Medal for Writing longlist, Brian Conaghan’s novel Stealing Happy follows a young man on a mission to outwit a loan-shark that his family were forced to borrow money from.

Using history as a tool for exploring identity and relationships has emerged as a key theme on thelonglist, with J.P. Rose, Kwame Alexander and Oboh Moses using it as a medium to explore Black identity. For the Medal for Writing,Kwame Alexander’s verse novel, Black Star, is set during segregation in 1920s America, where 12-year-old Charley dreams of becoming the first professional female baseball pitcher. Birdie byJ. P. Rose follows the story of a young girl moving from a home for mixed race children in 1950s Leeds, to the Yorkshire Dales. On the Medal for Illustration longlist, Oboh Moses uses exquisite light and shade to convey the lives of enslaved African women as they braid messages into their hair in Freedom Braids. On the Medal for Writing longlist, William Hussey sets his novel on the frontline in WW1 to tell a poignant story of forbidden love between two young men in The Boy I Love, with WW2the setting for Jenny Pearson’sShrapnel Boys, where two brothers are forced to question the motives and morals of others. Contrastingly, Josh Silver looks ahead with his dystopian YA thriller Traumaland, an exploration of mental health in a world in where the emotionally numb can pay to watch other people’s nightmares.

Exploring human connection through nature is another strong theme on both longlists, with Fia and the Last Snow Deer the only title to feature on both the Medal for Illustration and Medal for Writing longlist. Written in verse by Eilish Fisher and illustrated by Dermot Flynn, it explores a young girl’s determination to save her community in prehistoric Ireland. On the Medal for Illustration longlist; graphic novel, Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto, features a young girl finding solace from grief in a forgotten woodland; Be Back Soon, illustrated by Jenny Bloomfield, uses the passing of seasons to connect two brothers across mountains and oceans; and Good Golden Sun, illustratedby Brendan Wenzel, uses collage to depict the wonder of the sun.

Connecting to people and telling international stories through journeys is particularly prevalent within picture books on the Medal for Illustration longlist. The Endless Sea is a refugee story of one family’s perilous journey from Vietnam to the UK, emotively illustrated by Linh Dao, whilst the bright colours used by Baljinder Kaur inThe Sleeper Train whisk the reader away on a journey across India. The innovative use of tracing paper in The Paper Bridge, illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh, depicts a delicate paper town establishing a connection to a nearby village, and Tull Suwannakit’s scrapbook style used in Higher Ground portrays a family’s journey of survival on their roof garden after a great flood.

Reimaginings and retellings are represented in both the Medal for Writing and the Medal for Illustration longlists. On the Medal for Writing longlist, Wolf Siren by debut author Beth O’Brien uses popular fairytale Red Riding Hood to explore menstruation and patriarchal themes, whilst Clara Kumagai’s Songs of Ghosts is a YA tale of longing and heartbreak inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Two books on the longlist celebrate Irish folklore, with The Faerie Isle illustrated by Dermot Flynn using stunning contrasts of depth and light, whilst Steve McCarthy playfully depicts a young banshee forging her own path in Beanie the Bansheenie. Aimée de Jongh’s retelling of The Lord of the Flies is a cinematic graphic novel that lends an overarching sense of menace and power to the text.

Funny books and stories told with humour feature strongly on both longlists.On the Medal for Illustration longlist, the hyper-detail and quiet humour in The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough, illustrated byRébecca Dautremer, is at stark contrast to the bold lines and muted colour palette used by Dan Santat in the absurdly deadpan, Don’t Trust Fish. Typical fairytale charm is turned on its head in two picture books; Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron, a laugh-out-loud bedtime depicting traditional villains getting ready for bed, and in The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please,an ambitiouscook must adapt her charming menu for a more gruesome mythical clientele. Kate Rolfe’s typography in Wiggling Words delivers a story about verbs in a playful forest of letters. On the Medal for Writing longlist, Rob Harrell uses humour to explore anxiety and OCD in Popcorn, and for older readers, Joanna Nadin’s YA Birdy Arbuthnot’s Year of ‘Yes!’ fizzes with joy following a young women’s mission to find excitement in 1960s London.

The shortlists for the 2026 Carnegies will be announced during a panel event at London Book Fair beginning at 3.15pm on Tuesday 10^th March. The winners’ ceremony will be streamed and hosted live at the Cambridge Theatre on Tuesday 23^rd June. The winners will each receive a specially commissioned golden medal and a £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize. The winners of the Shadowers’ Choice Medals – voted for and awarded by the children and young people – will also be presented at the ceremony. They will also receive a golden medal and £500 worth of books to donate to a library of their choice.

The 2026 Carnegie Awards are supported by three key sponsors: Scholastic, the official book supplier; ALCS; and Sora, the official digital partner. The longlists can be ordered and shortlists pre-ordered from Scholastic now. And the Sora student reading app will provide access to available longlisted titles and free access to all available shortlisted digital books for shadowing groups, enhancing inclusivity and fostering a love of reading among young people. First News are the official media partner.

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For further information on The Carnegies 2026 please visit: www.carnegies.co.uk
#Carnegies2026 | @CarnegieMedals on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky & TikTok

For media and interview requests, please contact:
Kirsten Cozens or Katie Cregg at ed public relations on Kirsten@edpr.co.uk or Katie@edpr.co.uk or 020 7732 4796.

Author and illustrator biographies and images, book synopses and jackets
are available to download here.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

KEY DATES

• Tuesday 10 March 2026: Shortlists announced (15:45 GMT)
• Wednesday 11 March 2026: Shadowing begins
• Tuesday 23 June 2026: Winners announced at a live-streamed ceremony

The Carnegies

• The Carnegies celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration respectively and are unique in being judged solely by librarians.
• The Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded annually to a children’s book author whose writing creates an outstanding reading experience. It was established in 1936 in memory of the Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).
• The Carnegie Medal for Illustration (previously known as the Kate Greenaway Medal), established in 1955, is awarded annually to a children’s book illustrator whose artwork creates an outstanding reading experience.
• Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and overseas get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process. They read, discuss and review the books on the shortlists, get involved in reading related activities in groups, and vote for their favourite books to win the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medals for Writing and Illustration.
• In 2025, the Carnegie Medal for Writing was awarded to Margaret McDonald for her debut novel Glasgow Boys (Faber & Faber). The 2025 Carnegie Medal for Illustration was awarded to Olivia Lomenech for Gill Clever Crow, written by Christine Butterworth (Walker Books). The Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing went to Nathanael Lessore for King of Nothing (Bonnier Books UK).The Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration went to debut Theo Parish for their graphic novel Homebody (Macmillan Children’s Books).

About CILIP, the library and information association

• The Carnegies are managed by CILIP, the library and information association. The Medals are awarded annually by CILIP and the Youth Libraries Group (YLG) with longlists announced in February, shortlists in March and the winners announced at a ceremony in June.
• CILIP is the leading voice for the information, knowledge management and library profession. Our goal is to put information and library skills and professional values at the heart of a democratic, equal and prosperous society.
• CILIP is a registered charity, no. 313014. The YLG is a special interest group of CILIP who work to preserve and influence the provision of quality literature and library services for children and young people, both in public libraries and school library services.
• YLG has 12 regional committees covering all of the UK, and each region recruits a judge to represent them on the panel of judges. Each judge serves a two-year term and each year the panel is a unique mix of new and experienced judges led by the Chair of Judges. Following the independent diversity review of the Awards, CILIP introduced a co-opting procedure so that if this recruitment process does not result in a sufficiently diverse and representative judging panel, up to two judges will be co-opted to join the panel.
• In 2026, the judging panel includes 14 volunteer judges from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group and Chair of Judges Stella Hine. Find out more about this year’s judges here.

About Sora

• Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions, the Sora student reading app provides every student with access to the right books. Sora is used by 62,000 K-12 schools and millions of students worldwide, supporting the need for required curriculum titles, class sets and pleasure reading with the largest catalogue of ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines and other content. Parent company OverDrive, which also provides digital content to public and academic libraries through the Libby reading app and Kanopy streaming platform, was founded in 1986 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. To learn more, visit www.discoversora.com/global.

About Scholastic

• For 100 years, Scholastic Corporation has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media and other products and services that support children’s learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.co.uk

About ALCS

• ALCS is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers’ work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity; ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal for writers. It represents over 130,000 members, and since 1977 has paid over £750 million to writers. For more information visit www.alcs.co.uk.

About First News

• First News provides children and young people with a reliable and age-appropriate news source through their award-winning newspaper, app and learning resources. First News was founded by Nicky Cox MBE and Sarah Thomson in 2006 with a mission that remains true today: to offer trustworthy, age-appropriate news to children, enhance critical thinking skills, promote reading for pleasure, and nurture global citizenship. First News is the number one national newspaper for children reaching over 2.6 million children every week at home and at school. Expertly written by award-winning journalists, First News takes the fear our of sensationalised world events that children hear by providing a balanced and truthful view of the world, carefully, and sensitively written to explain the background to stories in the news. For more information visit www.firstnews.co.uk.