The Carnegies, the UK’s longest‑running and best‑loved book awards for children and young people, have announced their 2026 longlists for writing and illustration. Identity is a strong theme across both awards, explored through family, class, relationships, journeys and nature. Retellings, folklore, history and a welcome collection of funny books also feature.
The 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist is:
- 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:
- 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)