CARNEGIES 2026 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

carnegies.co.uk | #Carnegies2026 | @CarnegieMedals

Tuesday 10 March 2026: The Carnegies, the UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, run by the UK’s library association, CILIP, announced their 2026 shortlists at the London Book Fair this afternoon.

• Identity, belonging, relationships, and the meaning of home have emerged as themes throughout both Medal shortlists, with creative storytelling ranging from the deeply personal to the historic and mythical.
• Exciting innovation appears across both shortlists, with the Medal for Writing featuring subversive storytelling, reimagined folklore, and inventive verse and chronology, whilst the Medal for Illustration showcases a range of artistic styles from typography to kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting and folding.
• Two graphic novels feature on the Medal for Illustration shortlist including an adaptation of Lord of the Flies illustrated by Aimée de Jongh, a classic text also recently adapted for the BBC by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne.  
• Kengo Kurimoto and Oboh Moses are shortlisted on the Medal for Illustration for their debut books, alongside five illustrators who are brand new to the Carnegies. Only Kate Rolfe returns for a consecutive time after being shortlisted in 2025.
• Patrick Ness is shortlisted for a fifth time, fourteen years after his Medal for Writing win in 2012, with the chance of an unprecedented third win in the category.
• Three more previous Medal for Writing winners are also shortlisted, including Jason Reynolds whowonin 2021, Katya Balen who won both the Medal for Writing & Shadowers Choice in 2022, and Tia Fisher, winner of the Shadowers’ Choice2024.
• Writers and illustrators from around the UK including Birmingham, Dumfries, London, Norwich, and Suffolk havebeen shortlisted for both awards.
• Walker leads the field for publisher nominations with 3 titles shortlisted across both Medals, closely followed by Andersen Press, Faber & Faber, and Lantana who each have two titles shortlisted.

The Carnegies celebrate outstanding reading experiences in books for children and young people. They are unique in being judged by librarians, with the Shadowers’ Choice Medals voted for by thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and around the world, who shadow the judging process and choose their own winners.

16 books have been shortlisted in total, with eight in each category for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration; whittled down from 37 longlisted titles by the judging panel, which includes 14 children’s and youth librarians from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group. The awards aim to spark a lifelong passion for reading by connecting more children with books that will change lives.

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

• Ghostlines by Katya Balen (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
• Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher (Hot Key Books)
• Popcorn by Rob Harrell (Piccadilly Press)
• The Boy I Love by William Hussey (Andersen Press)
• Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Tim Miller (Walker)
• Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
• Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds (Faber & Faber)
• Birdie by J. P. Rose (Andersen Press)

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

• 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)
• Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel illustrated & adapted by Aimée de Jongh, written by William Golding (Faber & Faber)
• The Sleeper Train by Baljinder Kaur, written by Mick Jackson (Walker)
• Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (Pushkin Children’s Books)
• Freedom Braids by Oboh Moses, written by Monique Duncan (Lantana)
• The Paper Bridge by Seng Soun Ratanavanh, written by Joelle Veyrenc, translated by Katy Lockwood-Holmes (Floris Books)
• Wiggling Words by Kate Rolfe (Two Hoots)

Stella Hine, Chair of Judges for The Carnegies 2026, said:

“The 2026 judges have worked tirelessly to curate two outstanding shortlists. The lists meet young readers where they are, asking searching questions about identity, belonging, community and how we respond as life changes around us. These shortlists offer a wide scope of everyday life including friendship, wellbeing, courage, consent, respectful relationships, and empathy in the face of prejudice. Innovation in form is particularly exciting with inventive verse and chronology, subversive storytelling and reimagined folklore, alongside more traditional narratives. Together, these books reflect our world and empower young people to live and act with all their being and with hope. Huge congratulations to every shortlisted author and illustrator. Your works will impact generations to come, starting with our shadowing groups who have the joy of exploring these books deeply over the next few months as do we, the judges.”

THE SHORTLISTS IN MORE DETAIL 

Patrick Ness is in the running for an unprecedented third win for the Medal for Writing, 14 years after winning with A Monster Calls in 2012. His shortlisted title, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, is a ‘laugh out loud funny’ illustrated tale that is ‘completely absurd but so clever’ in the way it ‘subverts’ norms and narrative voice, and tells a unique story of anxiety, depression and friendship whilst ‘advocating uniqueness and individuality’. Rob Harrell has also explored mental health in his illustrated young fiction novel, Popcorn. Told through the eyes of an anxious young boy on school photo day, Harrell offers a ‘window into what someone with anxiety lives with’ written with empathy, hope and humour.

Mental health is also explored in Kengo Kurimoto’s Medal for Illustration shortlisted book, Wildful, one of two graphic novels on the shortlist. Judges loved the ‘filmic quality’ Kurimoto has brought to his story of a young girl discovering the joy and magic of a hidden woodland near home, as she processes the grief of losing her grandmother. The second graphic novel on the shortlist is Lord of the Flies, adapted and illustrated by Aimée de Jongh. The judges said reading this book is an ‘uncomfortable experience but one you don’t want to let go’, praising de Jongh for her ‘extremely strong and impactful’ retelling of a much-loved classic.

On the Medal for Writing shortlist, debut author Beth O’Brien, was inspired by Red Riding Hood to write her feminist reimagining, Wolf Siren. In this ‘rich and layered’ story, O’Brien uses ‘beautiful and lyrical’ language to transport readers to a small village and magical woodland filled with wolves and secrets. The connection between a small community and nature is also particularly strong in Ghostlines, written by 2022 Medal for Writing and Shadower’s Choice winner, Katya Balen. Set on a small island home to thousands of puffins and very few people, this is a ‘compelling’ story about what home means to different people. Home is also explored in The Playdate, illustrated by Clara Duckenberg. On the surface, this is a story about a young girl excited to visit her friend for a playdate, but Duckenberg’s illustrations reveal a ‘multi-layered’ secondary story that depicts a hardworking mother cleaning the friend’s home, whilst the children are innocently unaware of the social divide.  

Connection through journeys emerges as a theme in the Medal for Illustration shortlist this year. The journey to reach a neighbouring town in The Paper Bridge is innovatively explored by Seng Soun Ratanavanh using intricately detailed paper scenes that have been lit and photographed, providing an ‘exquisite’ and ‘memorable’ reading experience. Linh Dao’s striking visual contrasts between home and journey in The Endless Sea convey a poignant story of a refugee family traveling from Vietnam. Judges loved the ‘highly emotive’ colour palette, and use of light and dark silhouettes to build the mood. In Baljinder Kaur’s illustrations for The Sleeper Train, there is a ‘vibrant Indian twist’ to the colour palette and distinctive borders used throughout, creating a real sense of ‘movement and journey’ and an ‘excellent visual experience’ of a young girl’s train journey across India.

Historical settings are prevalent this year, with William Hussey setting his Medal for Writing shortlisted title, The Boy I Love, in the WW1 trenches. Judges praised the sense of ‘depth’ and ‘tension’ in this ‘outstanding’ love story of two young men on the frontline. A 1950s Yorkshire mining town is the setting of J.P. Rose’s shortlisted novel, Birdie. Featuring a determined pit pony and an even more headstrong young girl, this ‘affecting and emotional’ story spotlights Birdie’s struggle with racism and belonging as she moves to a new home. Black identity in history is explored on the Medal for Illustration shortlist with Oboh Moses’ debut, Freedom Braids, a picture book about the liberation of enslaved African women during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Moses uses his bold and vivid digital illustration style to portray fear alongside the love of a community of women with great ‘impact and power’.

Two YA novels on the writing shortlist focus on teen relationships. Former medal winner Jason Reynolds is shortlisted forTwenty-Four Seconds from Now, a story ‘full of heart’about the moments leading up to a young man’s loss of virginity. Told backwards in time from the tender moment, judges praised the ‘fresh’ framing device and ‘skill’ used to write a gentle moment so powerfully. Another previous winner, Tia Fisher, has been shortlisted for her verse novel, Not Going to Plan. A powerful story about sexual consent and unplanned pregnancy, the judges praised the way Fisher constructed the poems and played with language to evoke emotion and highlight the characters’ relationships.

Kate Rolfe, who was shortlisted for her debut picture book in 2025, also uses typography in her 2026 Medal for Illustration shortlisted title, Wiggling Words. Offering an insight into dyslexia, Rolfe’s illustrations develop from panicked chaos to ordered creativity, celebrating the boundless potential of neurodiversity through typography and ‘striking’ high contrast colours.

The winners will be announced and celebrated on Tuesday 23June at a live and streamed ceremony at the Cambridge Theatre, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi award-winning Matilda The Musical. The ceremony will be hosted by multi award-winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner, who previously won the Medal for Illustration in 2009 and has been shortlisted a further six times. Originally from Yorkshire, Catherine studied Illustration at the Edinburgh College of Art and still lives in the city with her family and a small menagerie of animals who inspire her creative work. Her books for children have sold over two million copies worldwide, been translated into 35 languages, and adapted for television, theatre and musicals.

The winners will each receive a specially commissioned medal and a £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize. The winners of the Shadowers’ Choice Medals – voted for and awarded by children and young people – will also be presented at the ceremony. They will receive a medal and £500 worth of books to donate to a library of their choice.

As the official book supplier, Scholastic are working with CILIP to donate shortlist packs to 10 schools in disadvantaged areas to allow them to also take part in the shadowing and widen the reach of engagement with the awards. Applications will be open from 23 – 30 March with packs to be sent out immediately afterwards to the selected schools. 

As Shadowing resource partners, the English and Media Centre (EMC) and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)have developed engaging reading resources for each shortlisted book, complete with activity ideas and discussion prompts. EMC focuses on writing resources, while CLPE provides resources on illustration. See here for more information about the Shadowing resource partners.

The 2026 Carnegie Awards are supported by three key sponsors: Scholastic, the official book supplier; ALCS; and Sora, the official digital partner. The longlist and shortlist can be ordered from Scholastic now. 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.

– ENDS –

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

• Wednesday 11 March 2026: Shadowing begins
• Tuesday 23June 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 Gill for Clever Crow, written by Christine Butterworth (Walker). 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 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.