The Carnegies, the UK’s longest running and much-loved book awards for children and young people, announced their 2025 shortlists at the London Book Fair this afternoon.

What are the Carnegie Medals? 

The Carnegies celebrate outstanding reading experiences in books for children and young people. They are unique in being judged by librarians, with the Shadowers’ Choice Medals voted for by thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and around the world, who shadow the judging process and choose their own winners.

16 books have been shortlisted in total, with eight in each category for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration; whittled down from 35 longlisted titles by the judging panel, which includes 14 children’s and youth librarians from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group. The awards aim to spark a lifelong passion for reading by connecting more children with books that will change lives.

The 2025 Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlist

Treacle Town by Brian Conaghan

The Things We Leave Behind by Clare Furniss

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton

King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore

Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain

Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald

All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri

Play by Luke Palmer

The 2025 Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist

The Invisible Story by Wen Hsu Chen, written by Jaime Gamboa, translated by Daniel Hahn

Grey by Lauren Child, written by Laura Dockrill

I Love Books by Mariajo Ilustrajo

Clever Crow by Olivia Lomenech Gill, written by Chris Butterworth

Letters in Charcoal by Juan Palomino, written by Irene Vasco, translated by Lawrence Schimel

Homebody by Theo Parish

Wolf and Bear by Kate Rolfe (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Flying High by Yu Rong, written by Cao Wenxuan, translated by Simone-Davina Monnelly and Jake Hope

Ros Harding, Chair of Judges for The Carnegies 2025, said, “On behalf of the judging panel, I would like to offer a huge congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators. The two lists highlight the diversity and high quality within publishing for children and young people in the UK. Many of the titles on the writing shortlist deal with themes around masculinity and boys finding their place in society, and the shortlisted authors successfully tackle these big ideas through believable and relatable characters, whilst avoiding lecturing young people. The concept of stories plays an important part in the shortlisted books across both lists, whether this is about the joy that can be found through discovering books or about the stories we tell ourselves and others to make sense of the world around us. 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 2025 Carnegie Shortlists in More Detail

Twenty-five years since winning the Carnegie Medal for Illustration in 2000 for her first Charlie and Lola book, Lauren Child is shortlisted for Grey, written by Laura Dockrill, 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. A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month, Julia descibed this book as being "Full of warmth and kindness this is a perfect book for sharing."

Chinese illustrator Yu Rong secures her third Carnegie shortlisting with Flying High, written by Cao Wenxuan (winner of the prestigious Hans Christian Anderson Award in 2016), 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.

Birds are also celebrated in ‘innovative’ non-fiction picture book Clever Crow, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill and written by Chris Butterworth. 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. This title was a LoveReading4Kids Non-Fiction Book of the Month.

Theo Parish, one of two debut author-illustrators competing for the Medal for Illustration, has been shortlisted for Homebody, 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.

Fellow debut author-illustrator Kate Rolfe is shortlisted for Wolf and Bear, 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. Kate won the V&A Student Illustrator of the Year award in 2022 and is a bookseller at a children's bookshop in Suffolk.

The only debut on the Medal for Writing shortlist is Glasgow Boys by former NHS worker Margaret McDonald, 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.’ A LoveReading4Kids Debut of the Month and "exceptional in every way" says expert reviewer, Amy McKay.

Fellow Scottish author Brian Conaghan has secured his second shortlisting for the Medal for Writing with Treacle Town, a LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month and Star Book. 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.'

Secondary school teacher Luke Palmer has been shortlisted for his ‘real, authentic and raw’ young adult novel Play, a story of disaffected youth, friendship and peer pressure as four boys navigate society’s expectations of what it means to be a man. LoveReading4Kids' expert reviewer, Joy Court said, "Teen books with realistic male protagonists are rare and when they are as good as this they need to be treasured."

Masculinity is also explored in South Londoner Nathanael Lessore’s King of Nothing, 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.’ This title was also a LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month and Star Book, described by our expert reviewer, Amy McKay as, "a heart-warming and hilarious novel."

Multi-award-winning poet and writer Matt Goodfellow is shortlisted for The Final Year, 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.’ Reviewer, Joy Court described it as, "Highly accessible, lyrical and life affirming, this is a must-have novel that will authentically resonate with so many under-represented children." The highly-anticipated sequel, The First Year is due for release on 24th April 2025.

The transformative power of reading is also celebrated in a trio of picture books on the Medal for Illustration shortlist. Mexican illustrator Juan Palomino’s Letters in Charcoal, written by Colombian author Irene Vasco, is 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.'

Author-illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo’s I Love Books is 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.' Another LoveReading4Kids Star Book, this is "A love story to books and reading, celebrating the untold adventures to be enjoyed between the pages of a good book." according to our expert reviewer and previous UK School Librarian of the Year, Amy McKay.

Costa Rican artist Wen Hsu Chen’s The Invisible Story, written by Costa Rican author and musician, Jamie Gamboa, and translated by Daniel Hahn, 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. 

Also ensuring that underrepresented voices are heard, Zimbabwean writer Blessing Musariri is shortlisted for the Medal for Writing for All That It Ever Meant, exploring 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. A LoveReading4Kids Debut of the Month, our expert reviewer, Joanne Owen called this book "a dazzling coming-of-age tale of tangled family dynamics, loss and grief." 

Belfast writer Kelly McCaughrain has been shortlisted for Little Bang, 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.' Another LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month and Star Book, Joy Court described this novel as, "an essential and important taboo-breaking book for young people." 

Clare Furniss is shortlisted for her 'exceptionally well crafted' dystopian novel The Things We Leave Behind. A LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month and Star Book 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. LoveReading4Kids reviewer, Amy McKay said it,  "reveals the worst that humanity does to each other, but is also full of love, hope and the best of humanity." 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 2025 Carnegie Medal Winners

The winners will be announced and celebrated on Thursday 19th 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.

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.

The 2025 Carnegies Shadowers’ Choice Scheme

As the official book supplier, Scholastic are working with CILIP to donate shortlist packs to 10 schools in disadvantaged areas to allow them to also take part in the shadowing and widen the reach of engagement with the awards. Applications will be open from 24 – 31 March with packs to be sent out immediately afterwards to the selected schools. As Shadowing resource partners, the English and Media Centre (EMC), the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) and the Youth Libraries Group have developed engaging reading resources for each shortlisted book, complete with activity ideas and discussion prompts. EMC focuses on writing resources, while CLPE provides resources on illustration. See here for more information about the Shadowing resource partners.

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