Winners of the 2026 Carnegie Medals announced

Debut author Beth O'Brien has won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for her book Wolf Siren (HarperCollins Children's Books), a feminist retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, inspired by her visual impairment. Wolf Siren also won the Shadowers' Choice Award.

The Carnegie Medal for Illustration winner was awarded to Kate Rolfe for Wiggling Words (Two Hoots), a picture book that illustrates Kate's experience with dyslexia. The Shadowers Award for Illustration was won by Aimée de Jongh for her graphic novel adaptation of Lord of the Flies by William Golding (for ages 12+). 

The Carnegie book award winners were announced today at a special ceremony hosted at the Cambridge Theatre in London, home to Matilda The Musical. The Carnegies celebrate outstanding reading experiences in books for children and are voted for by both librarians and alongside them, thousands of children and young people from across the country, debating and choosing their own winners from this year's shortlist for a Shadowers' Choice Awards.

The awards are the UK's longest running and most prestigious book awards for children and young people, and are run by library and information association, CILIP.

Accessibility key in winning titles

Making stories accessible is a key theme among this year's winners, whether that's Beth O'Brien's Wolf Siren, inspired by her visual impairment; Kate Rolfe's exploration of dyslexia in Wiggling Worlds, or adapting William Golding's Lord of the Flies into an accessible graphic novel format by Aimée de Jongh. "They're each inspiring young readers to engage with stories in new ways, and experience new perspectives," said the award organiser.

Judges' comments

Stella Hine, Chair of Judges for The Carnegies 2026, said Wolf Siren is "a wonderful fairy tale for our times" where hope triumphs over despair and justice over apathy. She added, "Red is a thoroughly traditional and yet modern heroine whose journey includes timeless messages for all, young and old. The environmental messages are clear, the language is sublime, and the rich content covering many contemporary themes invites reflection."

Wiggling Words is described as a "joyous and deceptively simple insight" into the world of a dyslexic reader. Hine said, "Using typography and their signature cyanotype technique, Kate Rolfe not only affords the dyslexic reader a voice but also invites the non-dyslexic reader into this unique world." The story follows the young protagonist on their journey from frustration to empowerment. "Many congratulations to the 2026 Award winners in this National Year of Reading."

Winners on stage (l to r) Aimee de Jongh, Beth O'Brien, host Catherine Rayner and Kate Rolfe (image by Tom Pilston)

Carnegie Medal for Writing AND Shadowers' Choice Award for Writing winner, Beth O'Brien for Wolf Siren

Debut author Beth O'Brien wrote Wolf Siren, her reimagining of Red Riding Hood, to give voice to her own lived experience of visual impairment. Blindness is often misrepresented as total sight loss, but 93% of blind and partially sighted people experience a spectrum of light, movement, and colour, something O'Brien captures in her descriptions not of what she sees but how she sees using all the senses.

O'Brien is currently studying for a PhD researching the (mis)representation of disability in fairytale retellings, often primarily used as a plot device to be cured, a symbol of evil, or to be supplemented by a superhuman ability. She also advocates for greater accessibility to audio and large print books for visually impaired readers, and champions audiobooks.

Winning the Carnegie Medal for Writing was "beyond the wildest hopes I ever had for this story!", O'Brien said. "Wolf Siren speaks to so many things that I care about, from visual impairment representation and period stigma to the abuse of power and weaponised belief systems. And on a personal level it is about family, sisterhood, and friendship in the face of all this.

"It's an honour to know this resonated with the judges and I am so grateful that this whole Carnegie journey has allowed Wolf Siren to find its way into the hands (or ears!) of young readers."

Shadowers' comments:  Commenting on why they chose Wolf Siren, Tabitha from shadowing group BFS Umbra called it "a thrilling tale and one of the few books that shows what it's like to live with a disability". Many shadowers said they were surprised by how much they enjoyed reading a fairytale retelling, with Joey from Coombe Critica commenting that it "showed me that often there is more to a story then you initially think". 

Carnegie Medal for Illustration winner, Kate Rolfe for Wiggling Words Wiggling Words

Kate Wolfe's Wiggling Words is described as a "deeply personal" work by the author, illustrating her experiences with dyslexia, something that affects one in 10 adults in the UK and 900,000 school children; children with needs that are severely under-resourced and in need of championing.

Wiggling Words visualises Wolfe's dyslexia through typography as mountains of words and ends not as something to 'overcome' but to embrace, celebrating how her neurodiversity informs her creativity. Traditional book layouts can create barriers to reading, but Wiggling Words has been made with dyslexia-friendly font, bold contrasting colours, and a cream background to make it more accessible. It is, importantly, a book for all children.

Judges' comments:  The judges praised the "transformative journey from confusion to confidence" as readers gain insight into what reading can be like for someone with dyslexia; mountains of words and walls of letters. Importantly, it doesn't end with dyslexia something to 'overcome'. Instead, Wolfe "joyfully experiments with typography to visualise how she still struggles with language, whilst celebrating the way dyslexia helped her find creative solutions and fall in love with storytelling.

"She sees creativity as a doorway to reading to all, and at its heart, Wiggling Words is a book that celebrates the universal experience of learning to read, and finding your way through things that feel impossible."

On winning the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, Kate Rolfe said: "I'm incredibly grateful to the Carnegie judges, librarians and shadowing groups for championing Wiggling Words. Receiving this award during the National Year of Reading feels so perfect!

"I absolutely LOVE books, but reading isn't easy for me. Wiggling Words was inspired by my experience as a dyslexic reader, but it's a book for every child learning to read. It celebrates creative problem-solving and playful ways into stories.

"The stories that captivate us when we're young shape our values, shared humanity and the world we choose to build. We need diverse stories from every nation and background, disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+ characters with experiences completely different from our own. In a world increasingly mired in fear, division and dehumanisation, diverse stories that build connection matter more than ever. If stories shape our future, accessibility and representation decides who has a voice in imagining that future - and we need it to include everyone."

Kate Rolfe was first shortlisted for the Medal for Illustration in 2025 for her debut book, Wolf and Bear.

Shadowers Award for Illustration winner, Aimée de Jongh, for her graphic novel adaptation of Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The Shadowers Award has been voted for by children and young people across the country and this book came out on top as their favourite illustrated book on the shortlist. Leinahtan from the College Francais Love Books shadowing group said it was "some of the most mind-blowing & jaw-dropping illustrations" they had ever seen, with Keval from Willow Book Whisperers calling it "a true masterpiece". Arshdeep from Sale High Readers praised the way "the illustrations add a new layer of depth and emotion to the story" with many shadowers confirming that the graphic novel format helped them understand the story

Aimée's debut, The Return of the Honey Buzzard, won the Prix Saint-Michel and was adapted into a live-action film, while her graphic novel Days of Sand was an international bestseller and nominated for two Eisner awards. She has been published in 11 languages to date.

See the full shortlists for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and Carnegie Medal for Illustration