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CLiPPA Poetry Award 2026 Judges Announced

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The 2026 CLiPPA Poetry Award was launched last week and the judging panel announced. ACHUKA was delighted to see our good friend Jake Hope on the panel.

Now in its 23rd year, the CLiPPA is the UK’s foremost award for published poetry for children. Recent winners include Joseph Coelho, Valerie Bloom, Michael Rosen, Colette Hiller and Matt Goodfellow. Each year, the shortlist is explored and celebrated by tens of thousands of primary school children who take part in the award via its hugely popular Shadowing Scheme. Over 40,000 children were involved in 2025.

Even higher numbers of children are expected to take part in this National Year of Reading. National Literacy Trust research carried out in 2025 found that 1 in 4 (24.2%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 read poetry in their free time at least once a month, with 1 in 6 (17.5%) choosing to write poetry in their free time[1]. The NLT research also finds poetry to be beneficial to emotional wellbeing, and, crucially, a source of joy and fun[2].

Writer and poet Nicola Davies, the new Children’s Laureate Wales, is chair of the judges for this year’s award. Nicola was Highly Commended for the CLiPPA in 2023 for Choose Love, moving poems about the refugee experience, illustrated by Petr Horáček.

Nicola Davies says: “Celebrating the diverse voices in poetry for children is so important because in that wondrous variety all children can find a voice that speaks to them; and discover that poetry is their personal gateway into the power of their own words.”

Publishers have responded to the NLT’s positive research findings, the huge participation in the CLiPPA Shadowing and strong sales for CLiPPA winners, and children’s poetry in the UK is enjoying a renaissance. There was a record number of submissions this year, twenty-three publishers entering one or more books for this year’s CLiPPA.

Colette Hiller, who won the 2025 CLiPPA with Colossal Words for Kids, illustrated by Tor Freeman, is also a judge this year, and says: “The CLiPPA is unique in throwing a spotlight on children’s poetry, putting it centre stage and allowing it to ‘take a big bow’! This acknowledgment isn’t just important to the poets involved. It shows how popular poetry is. The unique schools shadowing scheme enables the shortlisted books to resonate with teachers and students across the country.”

Also on this year’s judging panel are Jake Hope, Reading Development and Children’s Book Consultant, and Carnegie Awards Executive; Lisa Mead, CEO of Apples and Snakes; and Anjali Patel, Lead Advisory Teacher, CLPE.

The 2026 CLiPPA Shadowing is open for registration now and schools are invited to join CLPE online on Wednesday 15 April to watch the live announcement of the shortlist, with poetry performances by shortlisted poets.

The 2026 award ceremony will take place at the National Theatre on Thursday 9 July.

2026 Carnegie Longlists Announced

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The 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist is (alphabetical by author surname):

  • Black Star by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)
  • Ghostlines by Katya Balen (Bloomsbury Publishing)
  • Stealing Happy by Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury Publishing)
  • On the Wall by Anne Fine (Old Barn Books)
  • Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (Penguin)
  • Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher (Bonnier Books UK)
  • Popcorn by Rob Harrell (Bonnier Books UK)
  • The Boy I Love by William Hussey (Andersen Press)
  • Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai (Head of Zeus)
  • When It’s Your Turn for Midnight by Blessing Musariri (Head of Zeus)
  • Birdy Arbuthnot’s Year of ‘Yes!’ by Joanna Nadin (Fox & Ink Books)
  • Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Tim Miller (Walker Books)
  • Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien (HarperCollins Publishers)
  • Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson (Usborne)
  • Handle With Care by Louisa Reid (Guppy Books)
  • Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds (Faber & Faber)
  • Birdie by J. P. Rose (Andersen Press)
  • Traumaland by Josh Silver (Oneworld Publications)
  • The Spick and the Span by Pil Van Martin (HarperCollins Publishers)

 

The 2026 Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

  • Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron (Penguin)
  • Be Back Soon by Jenny Bloomfield, written Anna Wilson (Andersen Press)
  • Coorie Doon by Jill Calder, written by Jackie Kay (Walker Books)
  • The Playdate by Clara Dackenberg, written by Uje Brandelius, translated by Nichola Smalley (Lantana)
  • The Endless Sea by Linh Dao, written by Chi Thai (Walker Books)
  • The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough by Rébecca Dautremer, translated by Charis Ainslie (Post Wave Children’s Books)
  • Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel illustrated & adapted by Aimée de Jongh, written by Golding William (Faber & Faber)
  • Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Dermot Flynn, written by Eilish Fisher (Penguin)
  • The Faerie Isle by Dermot Flynn, written by Síne Quinn (Walker Books)
  • The Sleeper Train by Baljinder Kaur, written by Mick Jackson (Walker Books)
  • Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (Pushkin Children’s Books)
  • Beanie the Bansheenie by Steve McCarthy, written by Eoin Colfer (Walker Books)
  • Freedom Braids by Oboh Moses, written by Monique Duncan (Lantana)
  • The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please (HarperCollins Publishers)
  • The Paper Bridge by Seng Soun Ratanavanh, written by Joelle Veyrenc, translated by Katy Lockwood-Holmes (Floris Books)
  • Wiggling Words by Kate Rolfe (Macmillan)
  • Don’t Trust Fish by Dan Santat, written by Neil Sharpson (Andersen Press)
  • Higher Ground by Tull Suwannakit (New Frontier Publishing)
  • Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel (Scallywag Press)

The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 10th March at London Book Fair.

The winners at the Cambridge Theatre (suitably home to Matilda the Musical) on Tuesday 23rd June.

Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Shortlists 2026

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The Waterstones Children’s Books shortlist, announced this week, consists of twelve books—four in each of three categories.

For the first time in the award’s history, a creator is shortlisted for two books at the same time: Huw Aaron is nominated for both Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob in the  Illustrated Books category and for Unfairies in the Younger Readers category.

The Illustrated Books category:

  • Milo and the Mountain – Jamie Carroll  
  • The Great Green Island – Becky Colvin
  • My Rice is Best! – Selina Brown and Maxwell A. Oginni  
  • Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob  – Huw Aaron

The Younger Readers category

  • Unfairies – Huw Aaron  
  • Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree by Janeen Hayat
  • Spirit Warriors – Ashley Thorpe
  • Wildlands – Brogen Murphy 

The Older Readers shortlist  

  • A Language of Dragons – S.F. Williamson  
  • ‘Til Death – Busayo Matuluko
  • Solo – Gráinne O’Brien’s  
  • And the River Drags Her Down – Jihyun Yun 

The winners will be announced at an evening ceremony on Thursday 26 March 2026.

Bestseller Awards – Donaldson & Scheffler Still Selling, Selling, Selling

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The United Kingdom’s Bestseller Awards, sponsored by Nielsen BookData, presented the 2025 awards  during an event at the Ham Yard Hotel last night. 

ACHUKA congratulates Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler on the continuing strength of their partnership. This is quite something, when you think about it.

Platinum (more than 1 million copies sold)
Superworm by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)

Gold (more than 500,000 copies sold)
The Smeds and The Smoos by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
Zog and the Flying Doctors by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)

Silver (more than 250,000 copies sold)
The Baddies by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)

Catherine Rayner Joins Bright Agency Brand Licensing

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Paul Black—in his new role as Brand Partnerships Director at The Bright Agency, after a decade working for Klaus Flugge and Andersen Press (and before that at Walker Books)—has announced the signing of  picture book creator and artist Catherine Rayner, whom he now represents across licensing, advertising and editorial work. [David Higham Associates will continue to represent Rayner’s literary, film and television rights.]

Catherine Rayner joins the likes of BAFTA-nominated director and illustrator Robin Shaw, who most recently concluded an exclusive illustration range for TESCO’s 2025 Christmas campaign, and Jane Foster, best known for her collaborations with Comic Relief on Red Nose Day T-Shirts, Ikea, and on various products in ceramics, homewares and apparel.

Catherine’s art can already be found on greetings cards, baby wear and more, but working with Bright the goal is to expand further. Catherine’s books have been translated into 35 languages and sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, and adapted for television, theatre, and musicals, including Augustus and his Smile (Little Tiger Press) which was adapted for the Royal Albert Hall stage.

Catherine has become a household name, both for her own author-illustrated titles as well as working with the likes of Julia Donaldson, Michael Morpurgo, and Michael Bond. Catherine continues to be represented in publishing by Isobel Boston at David Higham Associates. Paul and the Bright team will work with them to increase Catherine’s presence in the market, ultimately with the goal of increasing Catherine’s footprint across books and further retail.

On welcoming Catherine to Bright, Paul Black said:

At Bright our licensing is always rooted in the work of the artist, and on expanding the footprint of their work from where they are currently positioned. I have long admired Catherine’s art, since I first commissioned her for events at Seven Stories more than 17 years ago we have maintained a great relationship hoping to work together again at some point. Watching what she has built on her own in the licensing space alongside her award-winning and best-selling publishing career has been hugely inspiring, and in joining forces with The Bright Agency I am excited to work with Catherine, and her literary agent Isobel Boston to reach new and lucrative partners and licensees for her work, and showcase Catherine’s art globally.

Catherine comments:

Having worked as a professional illustrator for more than 20 years, I felt it was the right moment to explore a new avenue. So when my old friend Paul Black joined the team at Bright, I was excited to hear about the agency’s licensing branch. I’ve licensed work in the past and produced many commissioned projects, as well as creating my own products – including cards and babywear – but this opportunity means my work can have a far wider reach. I’m really looking forward to some interesting and unexpected collaborations, supported by Bright’s expertise and contacts, in areas I’d never dreamed of before. I’m beyond thrilled to be part of the Bright team for my illustrative work and can’t wait to see where my art ends up. Watch this space – it’s going to be fun!

See:
Victor, The Wolf With Worries [ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Aug 2024]
Otto The Top Dog [ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Jul 2024]
Mollie, Olive and Dexter [ACHUKA Book of the Day 25 Apr 2023]
My Pet Goldfish [ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Dec 2021]
Arlo The Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep [ACHUKA Book of the Day 17 Aug 2000]

Klaus Flugge Prize 2026

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The Klaus Flugge Prize enters its second decade with Rob Biddulph joining 2025 winner Emma Farrarons on the judging panel together with industry experts Shelley Jackson of the Cambridge School of Art and Vanessa Lewis, owner of The Book Nook bookshop Hove.

Submissions open today, 6 Nov, for the Klaus Flugge Prize 2026. Publishers have until 14 January 2026 to submit for the £5,000 prize which is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.

The 2026 judges are:

  • 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Emma Farrarons
  • award-winning and hugely popular illustrator Rob Biddulph
  • Shelley Jackson, course director for the internationally renowned MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art 
  • and Vanessa Lewis, co-owner of independent children’s bookshop The Book Nookin Hove.

Launched in 2016 and generously funded by Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a supremely important figure in picture books, the Klaus Flugge Prize enters its second decade in 2026. In the years since it was founded, the Klaus Flugge Prize has gained recognition as one of the most significant children’s book awards. The support it gives new illustrators at the beginning of their careers is invaluable and the prize continues to raise awareness of the art of picture book illustration in general.

Winning the Klaus Flugge Prize brings affirmation and prestige and past winners include New York Times bestseller Flavia Z. Drago (2021), Mariajo Ilustrajo (2023), twice shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, and Kate Winter, who won with The Fossil Hunter in 2024.

Publishers now have until the closing date, midnight 14 January 2026, to make their submissions. Eligible illustrators may have created book covers, or illustration for other media, or illustrated books in another genre—for example, poetry or fiction—but eligibility for the prize requires that this is their first picture book for children. The book must have been first published on a children’s list in the UK between 1 January and 31 December 2025. Books first published in another country must have been co-published in the UK within three months of the original publication date.

The longlist will be announced on Wednesday 18 February 2026 and the winner announced on Wednesday 9 September.

The submission form and full criteria can be found at https://www.klausfluggeprize.co.uk/criteria/

The Children’s Booker Prize

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The Booker Prize Foundation has announced a major new award for children’s books. It will be awarded annually from 2027 and will celebrate the best children’s fiction (written in or translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland) for children aged 8 to 12.

The inaugural £50,000 award for children’s fiction will open for submissions in spring 2026, with the shortlist of eight books announced in November 2026.

The founding partner and principal funder of the Children’s Booker Prize is AKO Foundation, a grant-giving charitable foundation focused on supporting charities that improve education and the wellbeing of young people, promote the arts, and combat the climate emergency. AKO Foundation has generously committed to supporting the prize for its first three years. 

The multi-award-winning children’s book author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, will become the inaugural Chair of judges for the prize. Uniquely, the prize will be judged by a mixed panel of adult and child judges. Cottrell-Boyce and two other adult judges will select a shortlist of eight books. Three child judges will be recruited—with the support of schools and a range of partners across the culture and entertainment industries—to join the adults in choosing the winning book. 

Frank says:

Stories belong to everyone. Every child deserves the chance to experience the happiness that diving into a great book can bring. The Children’s Booker Prize will make it easier for children to find the best that current fiction can offer. To find the book that speaks to them. By inviting them to the judging table and by gifting copies of the nominated books it will bring thousands more children into the wonderful world of reading.  

I am absolutely buzzing about the news that I’m going to be chairing the judging panel. It’s going to be – as they say – absolute scenes in there. Let the yelling commence.

Allan Ahlberg – Obituaries & Tributes

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Guardian
New York Times
Telegraph
Times
Washington Post

 

2025 Branford Boase Award Goes To Carnegie Winner

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It is not often that the UK’s premium award for children’s fiction, the Carnegie, goes to a debut author and for that reason it is rare for the same author to win both the Carnegie and the Branford Boase awards. But that has happened this year. The Carnegie’s youngest ever winner, at age 27, has now picked up the unique and special prize for a debut children’s book, awarded to both the author and her editors.

Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu have been announced winners of the 2025 Branford Boase Award for outstanding debut novel for young people with Glasgow Boys, a moving, beautifully written coming-of-age novel exploring the power of identity, community and masculinity.

The Branford Boase Award was set up in 2000 to commemorates prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase of Walker Books. As Branford Boase Award winners, McDonald, Swan and Badu join a list that has shaped children’s literature over the last quarter century. Winning and shortlisted authors include Frances Hardinge, Kevin Brooks, Meg Rosoff, Patrick Ness and Maisie Chan, and winning editors include David Fickling, Fiona Kennedy, Barry Cunningham and Bella Pearson.

Nathanael Lessore, last year’s winner, says, “The Branford Boase Award is special. Celebrating the relationship with editors and writers, and focusing on debuts, it’s such an accomplishment to be shortlisted. It celebrates the collaborative aspects of literature, while directing a spotlight onto stories from authors we haven’t heard from. I was one of those authors, and I’m eternally grateful for the shortlisting and the win. It was the first time I felt I could be proud to be a writer. And I got to share that with my editors.
The books on this year’s Branford Boase Award shortlist reflect the current battles that young people face societally and within themselves, but they also show the positive sides of humanity and community, leading to wonderful journeys of self-belief.
Glasgow Boys had me tearing up with how raw and powerful it was. I finished it feeling like I’d just watched an Oscar winning film. Banjo and Finlay were real, their emotions palpable, and their relationship beautiful. Not many books move me the way this one did. It had to win.”

Margaret McDonald describes her editorial relationship with Alice Swan and Ama Badu as unlike any other creative experience. Tthey treated Banjo and Finlay as I do myself, which is as real people.” She adds, “I worked on every single aspect of Glasgow Boys with Alice and Ama, and it wouldn’t exist as it does today without them, truly… Glasgow Boys is a piece of my soul and to have it recognised in this way is unbelievably special, but also to have my incredible editors Alice and Ama recognised for the magnificent work they did, taking such care of Banjo and Finlay, is more than half of the joy.”

Alice Swan says: “I am so delighted that a story about two teenage boys emerging from the care system in Glasgow, with some of the dialogue in Scots, has received such extraordinary recognition. I fell in love with Glasgow Boys on my very first read, and the whole publishing journey has been one of mutual appreciation, trust and respect for two very important characters. This book has so many powerful things to say, and I am utterly thrilled by the incredible reader response. For Ama and I to have our contribution celebrated by this unique award is a lovely bonus.”

Ama Badu says, “It’s such a thrill to see the well-deserved praise and accolades Glasgow Boys has received. We knew just how special this story was from the start, and it brings me such joy to know that so many can see the same beauty. It’s a book that every reader can draw solace from. I’m honoured to have played a part in its journey.

Margaret McDonald receives a cheque for £1,000 and she and Alice Swan and Ama Badu receive engraved trophies.

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