Please find a list of frequently asked questions below to help you to manage your Shadowing Group, take part in online activity and make the most of our resources.
If your question is not answered below please contact us at carnegies@cilip.org.uk.
Managing my Shadowing Group
How to shadow the Carnegie shortlists
Taking Part in Shadowing Online
Privacy and Parental consent
Publicity materials
Access to content from previous years
A: Simply complete the online registration form when it goes live in November. You will need to choose a unique Shadowing Group Name (something unique that your students will easily identify) and provide an email address where we will direct all communications relating to your Shadowing Group’s online activity.
Once registered you will receive a confirmation email with your Shadowing Group Name and Group Passkey. You should save this email for future reference. It also contains a link to verify your email address which you must click on to complete your registration.
A: Please check your spam or junk folders in case the email has been redirected and if so please add noreply@carnegies.co.uk to your safe senders list. If no email has arrived, please get in touch at carnegies@cilip.org.uk and let us know the Shadowing Group Name you have registered.
A: When you register your Shadowing Group you will be sent an email with your Shadowing Group Name and Group Passkey. We recommend saving this email to refer back to. However, if you cannot find the email and you need a reminder of your group name or passkey please request your passkey to be re-sent here.
A: Please contact carnegies@cilip.org.uk with your current Shadowing Group Name and the name you would like to change it to.
A: Please contact carnegies@cilip.org.uk with your Shadowing Group Name and the email address you would like to associate with the group.
A: Please contact carnegies@cilip.org.uk with the Shadowing Group Name, if you have it, and your contact details. Groups are invited to re-register in November each year so if the current Shadowing period is over (March to June) we recommend waiting to register for next year’s Awards. To keep informed on Shadowing news please join our mailing list.
A: We recommend using Google Chrome or Firefox for the best user experience on our website. The site is not compatible with internet explorer.
A: From March, you will find your group’s content under My Shadowing Group Content. Here group leaders can search for all the content submitted by their Shadowing Group by entering the Group’s name in the search bar. In May each year group leaders will be able to export all their group’s content into an attractive Shadowing Magazine (PDF) to showcase and share the creative responses by their shadowers.
A: There is a map to discover nearby shadowing groups.
A: Order your books directly from our official book supplier Scholastic and you will receive 35% off each book set you order plus free delivery. Pre-ordered books will arrive from the day the shortlists are announced. Please send any queries regarding book orders directly to carnegies@scholastic.co.uk
A: CILIP is delighted to work in partnership with RNIB and Calibre Audio Library to produce the shortlisted books in accessible formats. RNIB and Calibre make the books available in braille, large print and audio book (compatibility permitting). Visit out partner page to find out more.
A: It is entirely up to you. Shadowing is a flexible reading for pleasure initiative that can take place both in and outside of the classroom. Shadowing group leaders have complete autonomy to use the books any way they want that works for the students participating in shadowing. Some groups may choose to read all books on a shortlist, others may dip in an out of the books or focus on just one or two. The teaching notes and resources available will help you plan your shadowing activity providing various talking points and themes to consider.
A: We will have rich and varied teaching notes and resources to help and guide you in leading your shadowing activity. From talking points that provoke discussions and themes to explore in the Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlist to visual literacy pointers to help your students evaluate illustration and artistic techniques in the Carnegie Medal for Illustration books. Our reading resource partners CLPE and EMC create rich teaching sequences to help your Shadowing Group engage fully with all of the shortlisted books.
A: Our librarian judges assign a recommended age range for each shortlisted book as a guide. This appears on the book page which is accessed from the Medal shortlist landing pages on the website once the shortlists are announced in March. The teaching notes are also a helpful resource to help you consider the content and themes of each book and their age appropriateness. We recommend sending parental permission letters with details of the shortlisted books if you are in any doubt over their suitability.
A: You can access the Timetable here.
A: Your group passkey allows us to verify that any person submitting content online belongs to your shadowing group. This passkey is associated with your Shadowing Group Name and the email address that you registered with. Your shadowers will need to enter the passkey when they take part in online shadowing activity such as posting reviews or artwork. The passkey is also required for shadowers to vote in the Shadowers’ Choice Awards. If you forget your group’s passkey, you can request a reminder here.
A: Once the shortlists are revealed in March, your shadowers can visit the Medal shortlist pages to find the book they wish to review or interact with. On the book page they will find options to submit a review of the book, share artwork inspired by the book and view content relating to the book including video interviews. The shadower will be required to enter their Shadowing Group Name and Passkey in order to submit their review or artwork. Once submitted you will receive a notification to the email address associated with your group providing a link for you to follow to review and approve the content for publication on the website. Check out our how to guide here.
A: Once the shortlist book pages are live in March following the shortlist announcement, your shadowers submit reviews or artwork via the book pages. You will receive a notification to the email address associated with your group providing a link for you to follow to review and approve the content for publication on the website.
A: Your shadowing group’s content will be published to the relevant book page once you approve them. To see all of the content submitted by your group visit the My Shadowing Group Content page that you can access via the Shadowing landing page. Here you will be able to search for all the content submitted by your Shadowing Group by entering your Group’s name in the search bar. If you approve and publish content that you would like to delete from the site please contact carnegies@cilip.org.uk with the details and we will get this removed.
A: Later on in the Shadowing period (around May time) you will be able to export all of your Shadowing Group’s reviews and artwork into an attractive magazine (PDF). A link will appear on your Group home page which you can discover via the My Shadowing Group Content page located under the Shadowing menu. By entering your Group’s name in the search bar you can discover your group’s page with all the content submitted by your Shadowers. Your Shadowing Magazine is a great keepsake for your shadowers and a fantastic recourse to showcase your shadowing group’s work to parents, head teachers etc.
A: Voting usually opens in May – See the timetable for exact dates. Group Leaders will receive an email with a link to a voting page to submit your votes. Each Shadower can vote for one book per Medal.
A: If you would like to arrange a virtual visit from a Carnegies judge, please get in touch with us at carnegies.oordinator@CILIP.org.uk and we will do our best to help facilitate this.
A: Please read our privacy notice.
A: Please contact carnegies@cilip.org.uk with the Shadowing Group Name and a request to remove the group. A Carnegies team member will delete the group for you and all associated data. Please note that all Shadowing Group data will be deleted each year within 6 months of the end of Shadowing.
A: You can update your email preferences any time here. Or by clicking ‘Unsubscribe’ at the bottom of any of the Shadowing emails you receive.
A: If the student is taking part in online Shadowing activity we have a template letter for parents/carers that you can use to obtain permissions that informs them of the kinds of activities their child will be taking part in online. We recommend that parents/carers are made fully aware of the scheme rather than relying on generic internet permissions given by parents/carers to a school when a student joins
A: If you are based in the UK you can register for a free publicity pack. You must register by early February 2025 to receive a hard copy pack. You will receive your pack in the post from the day the shortlists are announced in mid March. From this date, you will also find all the 2025 materials available for download on the downloads page under ‘Shadowing’.
A: No, participation in the shadowing scheme is unchanged by the brand refresh which was launched in September 2022. When groups register they will be invited to sign up to shadow the Carnegie Medal for Writing or the Carnegie Medal for Illustration or both. The awards team will continue to provide an interactive shadowing experience for those reading the writing or illustration shortlists supported by rich teaching resources and high quality author and illustrator content.
A: In developing ‘The Carnegies’ brand, the decision was made to adopt a ‘family’ of awards under the Carnegies name. This has the benefit of bringing clarity to the awards structure for young readers, participants of the shadowing scheme, media, potential sponsors and stakeholders. The Medal for writing has historically had a higher external profile and popularity so by creating categories under a ‘family’ of awards, the intention is to elevate the illustration Medal.
Anecdotally, the awards have been referred to as ‘The Carnegies’ by many. Making this move towards The Carnegies more strongly emphasises the library-led origins of the Medal and the association with Andrew Carnegie, founder of more than 2800 libraries. It also places a library focus across all categories of the awards, helping to achieve CILIP’s aim of placing librarian’s front and centre of the awards.
A: You can access all the reading resources for shortlisted books from 2010 onwards in the Archive area of our website.
A: You can access all of the awards video content, including past ceremonies, winner speeches and author and illustrator interviews and shadowers’ challenges over on our Vimeo channel.