Winners of the Information Book Award 2025 announced

Inside Story: How the News Works by Jane Marlow and Terri Po (Templar Books) is the winner of the Information Book Award, an annual celebration of information books.

The Children’s Choice Award was won by Amazing Asia by Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Jason Lyon (Wide Eyed Editions).

Four winning titles were celebrated at this year's ceremony, which was hosted by author, historian and podcast host, Greg Jenner.

 

Information Book Award Winner:  A panel of judges - experts from the school library sector - chose Inside Story: How the News Works (Templar, 2024) written by Jane Marlow for ITN Productions, and illustrated by Terri Po, as the Overall winner and Category winner for Ages 8-12, with books about art and black history awarded top prizes in the other age categories.

Inside Story: How the News Works is a no-nonsense guide to the increasingly relevant topic of where our news comes from, who makes it, and how to know which news to trust. The judges described it as a 'fantastic deep dive into the nuts and bolts of news and a powerful tool for information literacy'.

Across the three age categories, the Judges' Choice winners were:

This Book Will Make You an Artist, Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey, published by Nosy Crow (0-7 years)

Inside Story: How the News Works, ITN Productions, illustrated by Terri Po, published by Templar Books (8-12 years)

Black History for Every Day of the Year, David, Yinka and Kemi Olusoga, published by Macmillan Children’s Books (13-16 years)

Children's Choice Award

Children from around the country selected their choice of information books from the shortlist, too, through the Information Book Award Book Club, supported by the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society. Over 1,600 pupils took part in the voting process.

The overall Children's Choice winner was Amazing Asia, written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande and illustrated by Jason Lyon (Quarto, 2024). This highly illustrated, fact-filled encyclopaedia explores the vast continent of Asia from various perspectives, and gives incredible insights to its geography, culture and people.

Across the three age categories, the Children’s Choice winners were:

This Book Will Make You an Artist, Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey, published by Nosy Crow (0-7 years)

Amazing Asia, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Jason Lyon, published by Quarto (8-12 years)

Black History for Every Day of the Year, David, Yinka and Kemi Olusoga, published by Macmillan Children’s Books (13-16 years)

The winners celebrate at the IBA Awards event, with SLA's Victoria Dilly and event host Greg Jenner (Image (c) Adam Hollingworth)

Victoria Dilly, CEO of the School Library Association, said the award helps to showcase the role information books have in "enabling school librarians to encourage young people to read about their interests, to look at books as engaging sources of information, and to think critically about the information they are consuming and sharing". In today's changing world, she added, "these are incredibly important skills to build".

Chair of the judges, Helen Cleaves, added: "From ancient philosophy to artificial intelligence, the IBA showcases the fantastic breadth of information books being written for children today and offers a compelling glimpse into what matters to us right now. 

Dilly added, "What makes this award particularly special is the pupil book club. By participating in the book club discussions and voting process, children and young people aren't just choosing their favourite books, they're also developing essential critical thinking skills. They're learning to share their opinions, listen to different perspectives, and to engage in meaningful debate with their peers. These are the stepping stones to becoming responsible citizens."

Watch the SLA's online author panel celebrating the Information Book Award shortlist with Kimberley Kinloch, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Ben Aldridge.

The Information Book Award is sponsored by Hachette Children’s Group and supported by Peters.