9 JANUARY 2025: CILIP, the library and information association, is thrilled to continue its partnership with the London Book Fair to celebrate the 2025 Carnegie Medals for Writing and Illustration. A special panel event at the Fair’s Focus Theatre on 11 March 2025 will exclusively reveal this year’s shortlisted titles.
It Starts with a Spark! This event will explore the ongoing mission of the Carnegies to empower the next generation through books and reading, as well as the importance of celebrating children’s books, authors, and illustrators. The panel discussion will provide a unique perspective on the judging process and the impact of these prestigious awards.
Moderated by Jake Hope, Carnegie Awards Executive, the conversation will feature:
Ros Harding, 2025 Chair of Judges, sharing insights into this year’s judging process.
Tia Fisher, winner of the 2024 Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing for Crossing the Line (Bonnier Books UK).
Erika Meza, 2024 Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlistee for To The Other Side (Hachette Children’s Group).
Panellists: L to R: Erika Meza, Jake Hope, Tia Fisher, Ros Harding
Following the shortlist announcement, 12 March 2025 marks the start of the 2025 Carnegies Shadowing Scheme, where children and young people can read the shortlisted books, share their views, and vote for their favourites to win the Shadowers’ Choice Medals. Registration is now open and UK-based group leaders can sign up now to receive a free publicity pack on the shortlist announcement day.
The Shadowers’ Choice winners and the judges’ medal recipients will be revealed at a livestreamed ceremony on 19 June 2025.
The Carnegies are supported by The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and Scholastic as the official book supplier.
#Carnegies2025 | @CarnegieMedals on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and TikTok
For media and interview requests, please contact: Katie Cregg at ed public relations on katie@edpr.co.uk 020 7732 4796
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About 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 2024, the Carnegie Medal for Writing was awarded for the first time to a Black British author, and then Children’s Laureate – Joseph Coelho – for his novel in verse The Boy Lost in the Maze illustrated by Kate Milner (Otter-Barry Books). The 2024 Carnegie Medal for Illustration and Shadowers’ Choice Award for Illustration were both awarded to Aaron Becker in a double-win for his wordless picture book The Tree and the River (Walker Books). The Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing went to Tia Fisher for her debut novel told in verse, Crossing the Line (Bonnier Books UK).
About The London Book Fair
The London Book Fair (LBF) is a premier event in the global publishing calendar, providing a unique platform to connect with industry professionals, explore emerging trends, and gain valuable insights. Taking place from 11-13 March 2025 at Olympia London, LBF offers over 100 seminars, networking opportunities, and the International Trade Centre for rights professionals to conduct business. LBF is a must-attend event for anyone in the publishing world.
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 committee advertises and democratically 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 2025, the judging panel includes 14 volunteer judges from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group and Chair of Judges Ros Harding. Find out more about this year’s judges here.
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 leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, 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.
The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (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. It represents over 120,000 members, and since 1977 has paid over £650million to writers.
Jake Hope is the Carnegie Awards Executive, a post which supports CILIP in leading the strategic development of the Awards. Jake is an experienced children’s book and reading development consultant, named as one of the UK’s top librarians of the future in the National Love Libraries Campaign. He has written extensively on children’s reading development and librarianship, contributing chapters to numerous books, producing the SLA publication on diversity and inclusion and previews for The Bookseller. He is the author of the recently published book on visual literacy, Seeing Sense, (Facet Publishing, 2020). Jake enjoys working creatively, has strong network links across the book trade and reading sector and is passionate about children’s books and promoting a love of reading and writing with young people and their families.
About Ros Harding
The Ros Harding is Chair of Judges for the Carnegies 2025, first qualifying as a librarian in 2002. She went on to win the School Library Associations’ School Librarian of the Year 2019 award whilst at The King’s School in Chester. She was previously a judge for the Carnegie Awards in 2021/22 representing the North West region and calls it a ‘dream come true’ and highlight of her career.
Ros grew up in South Wales and loved reading from an early age, devouring all the books she could get her hands on at home, from school and her local library. Many years later she worked as a school librarian in Wrexham, North Wales and quickly realised it was the perfect sector to work in. Over the next 18 years she loved her work with children and young people, helping them develop a love for reading.
About Tia Fisher
Tia Fisher’s debut, Crossing the Line, is a verse novel for teens. It won the 2024 Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing, the UK Literacy Association Book Awards 2024 and numerous other awards. It was included in The Times’ Children’s Books of the Year 2024 and the Read for Empathy Collection, 2024. Tia has a master’s in writing for young people from Bath Spa University, and works in a busy public library in East Anglia when she’s not visiting schools and writing books for children of all ages.
About Erika Meza
Erika Meza was born in Mexico and developed a taste for eclairs in Paris before moving to the UK. She won a scholarship to study in L’École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, where she learned to combine bold colour and mark-making with poetry. To the Other Side was shortlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Illustration, the Jhalak Prize and the Inclusive Books for Children Award, as well as winning the Diverse Book Award in the picture book category.
