2025 Carnegies Shortlists for Writing and Illustration Announced

The shortlists for the 2025 Carnegie Medals have been announced. The awards aim to spark a lifelong passion for reading by connecting more children with books that will change lives and are judged by librarians.

From tomorrow, reading groups in schools and libraries will begin to shadow the awards and their choices will decide the Shadowers' Choice Medals.

The winners will be announced on Thursday 19 June 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 Joseph Coelho, winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing in 2024.

Some 16 books have been shortlisted across both medals for writing and illustration, whittled down from 35 longlisted titles by the judging panel, which includes 14 librarians from CILIP's Youth Libraries Group. 

The 2025 Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlist (alphabetical by author surname):

Treacle Town by Brian Conaghan (Andersen Press):  A second shortlisting for the Medal for Brian Conaghan. This 'highly authentic and realistic' story explores poverty and lack of opportunity as a teenage boy embraces slam poetry to escape gang violence and secure a hopeful future, with dialect conveying 'a strong sense of place to help immerse the reader.'

The Things We Leave Behind by Clare Furniss (Simon and Schuster):  An 'exceptionally well crafted' dystopian novel. The Things We Leave Behind is set in a near-future London at the epicentre of the refugee crisis and following a teenager and her sister on a treacherous journey to safety. The judges highlighted its sense of 'hope' for the future and 'the possibility of new beginnings' - a feature shared by all the books shortlisted for the Medal for Writing.

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Otter-Barry Books):  A 'lyrical and poetic' verse novel about change and adaptation where a young boy's love of reading and writing is encouraged by a teacher as a way to process anger and find his voice. The judges highlighted 'powerful' and empathetic characterisation in a story that was both 'heartbreaking' and 'joyful.'

King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore (Bonnier Books UK):  A 'fresh and innovative' story about a self-proclaimed bad boy whose unlikely new friendship makes him question his priorities, told with 'warmth, humour and authenticity,' which 'challenges readers to look inwards at their own behaviour.'

Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain (Walker):  A 'warm and wise' Northern Irish romance exploring teen pregnancy and a young woman's right to choose her own future, which was praised by the judges for exploring all sides of an emotive topic and 'sensitively opening up perspectives around the choices people make'.

Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald (Faber and Faber):  An outstanding, honest story exploring mental health, trauma and inequality through the precarious friendship between two boys growing up in foster care. The judges highlighted the 'empathy,' 'tenderness' and 'hope' in a story examining identity 'in all its complexity.'

All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri (Head of Zeus):  Zimbabwean writer Blessing Musariri explores cultural identity and loss as a neurodivergent girl moves between continents with her family after the death of her mother. This 'powerful' and 'compelling' coming-of-age story 'has so many beautiful and poignant ways of describing grief,' commented the judges.

Play by Luke Palmer (Firefly Press):  A 'real, authentic and raw' young adult novel, a story of disaffected youth, friendship and peer pressure as four boys navigate society's expectations of what it means to be a man.

The 2025 Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

The Invisible Story by Wen Hsu Chen, written by Jaime Gamboa, translated by Daniel
Hahn (Lantana):  This story about a blind girl finding adventure in a Braille book combines 'intricate' white paper craft to evoke the girl's inner world with 'beautiful' watercolour, representing the magical world inside the book, which only she can access.

Grey by Lauren Child, written by Laura Dockrill (Walker):  The 'fresh and original' story of a child who feels their colours have disappeared. The judges admired the use of cut-outs to 'alter perspective,' and a monochrome colour palette to reflect low mood, which contrasts 'powerfully' with brighter, more hopeful colours as the child is reassured by their mother.

I Love Books by Mariajo Ilustrajo (Quarto):  An original and immersive story about the joy of discovering a connection with books for the first time, told in a 'warm, enjoyable and inviting style.'

Clever Crow by Olivia Lomenech Gill, written by Chris Butterworth (Walker):  The judges praised the 'sheer variety' of different illustrative styles, including watercolours, pastels and collage, and the use of a dark colour palette to create a 'raw, organic and earthy feel' appropriate to the birds and synergistic with the text.

Letters in Charcoal by Juan Palomino, written by Irene Vasco, translated by Lawrence Schimel (Lantana):  A 'fresh and innovative' historical story set in Columbia, about how learning to read changes an illiterate girl's life, with 'earthy tones' used to 'convey mood and place.'

Homebody by Theo Parish (Macmillan Children's Books):  A memorable and original graphic novel about trans identity and the importance of living authentically. Judges hailed this 'important book,' as an original take on a complex subject, 'illustrated beautifully' using the colour palette of the trans flag.

Wolf and Bear by Kate Rolfe (Macmillan Children's Books):  A powerful and hopeful look at depression through the friendship between two caring animals, using the interplay of light and shadow to make a complex emotional experience relatable to younger children

Flying High by Yu Rong, written by Cao Wenxuan, translated by Simone Monnelly (UCLan Publishing):  The story of a courageous bird who shows a human friend that being different can be a strength. Rong innovatively draws on traditional Chinese techniques to 'playfully' fuse paper cuts with 'ethereal' pencil drawings in this 'visually stunning and vibrant,' picture book.

Ros Harding, chair of judges for The Carnegies 2025, said the two lists highlight "the diversity and high quality within publishing for children and young people in the UK". She added, "It is wonderful to see such an inclusive range of cultures, experiences, voices and illustrative styles feature in the shortlisted books and as a judging panel, we are so excited to be a part of introducing these incredible books to the shadowing groups.”

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.