Longlists announced for Carnegie Medals 2023

The Yoto Carnegies, the UK's longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, today announced the longlists for 2023. 

Dominated by independent publishers, the stories range from intimate examinations of family life to sensitive introductions to societal issues impacting the world today, with many reflecting on past histories or looking to the future of our planet.

A total of 31 books have been recognised, with 15 books selected for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist, and 18 for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration.

The Yoto Carnegies celebrate outstanding achievement in children's writing and illustration and are unique in being judged by children's librarians, with the Shadowers' Choice Medals voted for by children and young people. The awards aim to spark a lifelong passion for reading by connecting more children with books that will change lives.

The longlists were chosen from 125 nominations by the judging panel, which includes 12 children's and youth librarians from CILIP's Youth Libraries Group.  The shortlists for the 2023 Yoto Carnegies will be announced on Friday 17 March. The winners' ceremony will be hosted live and streamed from The Barbican on Wednesday 21 June. The winners of the Shadowers' Choice Medals - voted for and awarded by the children and young people - will also be presented at the ceremony.  The Carnegies Medal winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library, a golden medal and a £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize.

The Yoto Carnegies Longlists

The 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist (alphabetical by author surname):

The Light in Everything by Katya Balen (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari, illustrated by Natalie Sirett (Little Tiger)

Medusa by Jessie Burton, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

The Blackthorn Branch by Elen Caldecott (Andersen Press)

Running with Horses by Jason Cockcroft (Andersen Press)

The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch (Little Island)

The Worlds We Leave Behind by A.F. Harrold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

Green Rising by Lauren James (Walker Books)

When Our Worlds Collided by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster Children's)

Needle by Patrice Lawrence (Barrington Stoke)

Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston (Orion Children's Books)

Wrath by Marcus Sedgwick (Barrington Stoke)

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (Hodder Children's Books)

The Silver Chain by Jion Sheibani (Hot Key Books)

The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros (Firefly Press)

The 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

John Agard's Windrush Child illustrated by Sophie Bass, written by John Agard (Walker Books)

Rescuing Titanic illustrated and written by Flora Delargy (Wide Eyed Editions)

Flooded illustrated and written by Mariajo Illustrajo (Frances Lincoln)

Journey to the Last River illustrated by Teddy Keen, written by The Unknown Adventurer (Frances Lincoln)

Medusa illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill, written by Jessie Burton (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

The Fog Catcher's Daughter illustrated by Alan Marks, written by Marianne McShane (Walker Books)

Once Upon a Tune illustrated and written by James Mayhew (Otter-Barry Books)

Dadaji's Paintbrush illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande (Andersen Press)

Alte Zachen: Old Things illustrated by Benjamin Phillips, written by Ziggy Hanaor (Circada Books)

The Worlds We Leave Behind illustrated by Levi Pinfold, written by A. F. Harrold (Bloomsbury Children's Books)

The Visible Sounds illustrated by Yu Rong, written by Yin Jianling (UCLan Publishing)

Choices illustrated and written by Roozeboos (Child's Play)

The Queen in the Cave illustrated and written by Júlia Sardà (Walker Studio)

Saving the Butterfly illustrated by Gill Smith, written by Helen Cooper (Walker Books)

The Comet illustrated and written by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye Books)

The Queen on our Corner illustrated by Nia Tudor, written by Lucy Christopher (Lantana)

The Baker by the Sea illustrated and written by Paula White (Templar Books)

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear illustrated by Jeet Zdung, written by Trang Nguyen (Kingfisher)

This year's Medal for Writing longlist includes six authors previously longlisted; Jason Cockcroft (2022), Patrice Lawrence (2022), Elen Caldecott (2021), Danielle Jawando (2021), Kiran Millwood Hargrave (2018) and A. F. Harrold (2016).

Themes in this year's longlists

Many of the stories across both longlists explore changing family dynamics or adjusting to new environments, including the newly blended family in Katya Balen's The Light in Everything. Julia and her parents move to a remote island in Scotland for the summer in Julia and the Shark, which offers a captivating combination of lyrical prose and absorbing imagery in the first collaborative novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston. In Jason Cockcroft's powerful and sensitive story of the trauma of grief, Running with Horses, protagonist Rabbit and his mum are adjusting to a new place, and a new reality, without his dad.

On the Medal for Illustration longlist, The Comet by Joe Todd-Stanton, uses imagination and light to offer hope in the difficulties of moving home and finding a sense of belonging. The relationships between children and grandparents are the focus of Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane, and graphic novel Alte Zachen: Old Things by Ziggy Hanaor, illustrated by Benjamin Phillips.

Climate change and conservation return as an important thread to this year's Writing longlist, including Green Rising by Lauren James, the founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League, and Manon Steffan Ros, who examines a post-apocalyptic future in The Blue Book of Nebo - now translated into English from the multi-award-winning Welsh language original. On the Illustration longlist, Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear tells the incredible true story of where Trang Nguyen's love for bears started and how she came to be such a passionate and leading wildlife conservationist in this graphic novel, boldy illustrated by Jeet Zdung. Spanish illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo's longlisted debut picture book Flooded looks to the future, presenting an allegory of climate change and the importance of everyone working together. 

When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari, illustrated by Natalie Sirett, creatively brings together verse, prose and imagery to share a story of disaffected youth and the vulnerability of teenage years. These topics are also explored in contemporary settings in Danielle Jawando's powerful coming-of-age story, When Our Worlds Collided, and the deftly-woven Needle by award-winning author Patrice Lawrence, longlisted for the second consecutive year.

New worlds or alternate realities are explored in The Worlds We Leave Behind, by A. F. Harrold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold, and The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch - an impactful exploration of toxic masculinity and the only debut on this year's Medal for Writing longlist.

Alongside Pinfold and Lomenech Gill, the Medal for Illustration longlist features two other previously shortlisted artists: Júlia Sardà (2020) for the first book she has written as well as illustrated; and Yu Rong (2022) for her portrayal of hearing loss. Illustrator and author James Mayhew was also longlisted in 2019.

Five debuts feature on the longlist for the Medal for Illustration, with three of those finding success and inspiration in bringing true stories from history to life; Sophie Bass joyously illustrates a child's journey to England on board Empire Windrush in vivid colour in John Agard's Windrush Child; Flora Delargy provides rich detail to a little ship that changed course to offer help in Rescuing Titanic; The Baker by the Sea atmospherically illustrates the fishing community and history of Lowestoft through pen-and-ink artwork, where author and illustrator Paula White grew up.

As well as sparking imaginations, picture books can provide a sensitive way to introduce sophisticated topics to children, to invite discussion and conversation. Excellent examples of this include Helen Cooper's Saving the Butterfly illustrated by Gill Smith, about two refugees settling in a new country and the accompanying feelings of fear and hope, and Lucy Christopher's The Queen on our Corner, illustrated by Nia Tudor, which introduces homelessness in a gentle but honest way.  Roozeboo's fun, inclusive debut Choices, where a girl people-watches at her local lido, also offers an important lesson for readers, encouraging them to reflect on the decisions they make, whether big or small.

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Yoto, the screen-free audio platform for children, is the headline sponsor of the Awards. The Yoto Carnegies are sponsored by ALCS and Scholastic as the official book supplier, with First News as the official media partner for 2023.