Carnegie Medals 2023 nominations announced

Nominations have been announced for the 2023 Carnegie Medals, the UK's longest running children's book awards, alongside a rebrand for the medals for writing and illustration, which are now known as 'the Carnegies'.

Alongside the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing, the former Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration will now be known as the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, and the Carnegies will also include the Shadowers' Choice medals, selected by schools shadowing the awards process.

A total of 125 books have been nominated for the 2023 Medals. 67 books are in contention for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing which is awarded to a children's book that 'sparks an outstanding reading experience' and 58 books for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, which celebrates an outstanding reading experience through illustration. Six titles have received nominations in both Medal categories.

You can find the full list of nominations here:

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing Nominated Titles 2023

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration Nominated Titles 2023 

The nominations include two for author Katya Balen (The Light in Everything, Bloomsbury and Birdsong, Barrington Stoke) and other previously shortlisted authors including Phil Earle (While the Storm Rages, Andersen Press), AF Harrold (The Worlds We Leave Behind, Bloomsbury), Philip Reeve (Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep, David Fickling Books), Chris Vick (The Last Whale, Head of Zeus) and Alex Wheatle (Kemosha of the Caribbean, Andersen Press). Newcomers to the Carnegie nominations include Jonathan Tulloch for Cuckoo Summer (Andersen Press), Lucy Hope for Fledgling (Nosy Crow), Ros Roberts for Every Cloud (Little Tiger), and Skye McKenna's Hedgewitch (Welbeck Flame).

The 2023 shortlists also reflect the growing diversity in children's books, with nominations including AM Dassu's Fight Back (Scholastic), Danielle Jawando's When Our Worlds Collide (Simon & Schuster), Yaba Badoe's Liongirl (Zephyr) and Samira Ahmed's Hollow Fires (Atom).

Judged by librarians, the Carnegie Medals invite nominations from CILIP members and the CILIP School Libraries Group, as well as a number of external bodies including BookTrust, CLPE, English & Media Centre, and IBBY.  The spirit of the Awards mission is to 'champion librarians to inspire and empower the next generation to create a better world through books and reading', something the rebranded tagline, 'It starts with a spark', will highlight said Jake Hope, chair of the Carnegies Working Party: "Whether achieved through illustration or writing, every creative work begins with a spark of inspiration and every young reader feels that spark when they connect with a story. We hope that the tagline will unify readers, creators and libraries."

Judging awards

Each nominated book will now be read by members of the 2023 judging panel, which includes 12 experienced librarians from CILIP's Youth Libraries Group, which runs the awards.   The judging panel will decide the long and shortlists from the nominations, with the longlists announced on 15th February 2023 and the shortlists on 15th March 2023. The 2023 Medal winners, judged by the panel, will be announced in June 2023.

Shadowing groups

Shadowing of the awards by children and young people will begin after the shortlists are announced on 15th March 2023, with the Shadowers' Choice Awards voted for by children and young people who take part in the scheme. Taking on the role of judges, the groups will vote for their favourite books to receive the Shadowers' Choice Award at the winners' ceremony in June 2023.

Key dates for the Yoto Carnegie Medals 2023

Wednesday 15 February 2023: Longlist announced

Wednesday 15 March 2023: Shortlist announced and Shadowing begins

June 2023: Yoto CarnegieWinners announced

#YotoCarnegies23  /  @CarnegieMedals