The Yoto Carnegies, the UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, announced their 2024 shortlists at the London Book Fair.

The Yoto Carnegies celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration and are unique in being judged by librarians, with respective Shadowers’ Choice Medals voted for by children and young people.  

16 books have been shortlisted in total, with eight in each category for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and Carnegie Medal for Illustration; whittled down from the 36 longlisted titles by the expert judging panel which includes 12 librarians from CILIP: the library and information association’s Youth Libraries Group. 

The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlist is (alphabetical by author surname):

• The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)
• The Song Walker by Zillah Bethell (Usborne)
• Away with Words by Sophie Cameron (Little Tiger)
  
• The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner (Otter-Barry Books)
• Choose Love by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Petr Horáček (Graffeg)
  
• Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher (Bonnier Books UK)
  
• Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)
• Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore (Bonnier Books UK)
  

The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

• The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker (Walker Books)
  
• April’s Garden by Catalina Echeverri, written by Isla McGuckin (Graffeg)
  
• Lost by Mariajo Ilustrajo (Quarto)
  
• The Wilderness by Steve McCarthy (Walker Books)
  
• To the Other Side by Erika Meza (Hachette Children’s Group)
• The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry (Bonnier Books UK)
• The Bowerbird by Catherine Rayner, written by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan Children’s Books)
  
• The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage (Walker Books)
  

The Yoto Carnegies, the UK’s longest running and best loved book awards for children and young people, today announced their longlists for 2024. Celebrating creative use of language and synergy between text and images, poetry and stories written in verse feature prominently, with British talent dominating the Medal for Writing longlist. Common themes include hidden worlds and alternate realities, forgotten histories highlighted or reimagined, and environmentalism and the power of nature.

A total of 36 books have been selected from 20 different publishers; 19 for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing, and 18 for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration.

The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist is (alphabetical by author surname):

• The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)
• The Song Walker by Zillah Bethell (Usborne)
• Away with Words by Sophie Cameron (Little Tiger)
• The Little Match Girl Strikes Back by Emma Carroll, illustrated by Lauren Child (Simon & Schuster)
• The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner (Otter-Barry Books)
• Choose Love by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Petr Horáček (Graffeg)
• Electric Life by Rachel Delahaye (Troika Books)
• Until the Road Ends by Phil Earle (Andersen Press)
• Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner (Firefly Press)
• Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher (Bonnier Books UK)
• Wild Song by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books)
• Boy Like Me by Simon James Green (Scholastic)
• Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)
• Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore (Bonnier Books UK)
• The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell (Penguin)
• Dogs of the Deadland by Anthony McGowan, illustrated by Keith Robinson (Oneworld Publications)
• Tyger by SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean (David Fickling Books)
• Ravencave by Marcus Sedgwick (Barrington Stoke)
• Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli (Macmillan Children’s Books)

The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

• The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker (Walker Books)
• Wolves in Helicopters by Paddy Donnelly, written by Sarah Tagholm (Andersen Press)
• April’s Garden by Catalina Echeverri, written by Isla McGuckin (Graffeg)
• The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham (Walker Books)
• Deep by Stephen Hogtun (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
• Lost by Mariajo Ilustrajo (Quarto)
• Colours, Colours Everywhere by Sharon King-Chai, written by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan Children’s Books)
• The Skull by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)
• The Wilderness by Steve McCarthy (Walker Books)
• Tyger by Dave McKean, written by SF Said (David Fickling Books)
• To the Other Side by Erika Meza (Hachette Children’s Group)
• The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry (Bonnier Books UK)
• The Bowerbird by Catherine Rayner, written by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan Children’s Books)
• Global by Giovanni Rigano, written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin (Hachette Children’s Group)
• The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage (Walker Books)
• My Baba’s Garden by Sydney Smith, written by Jordan Scott (Walker Books)
• The Boy Who Lost His Spark by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, written by Maggie O’Farrell (Walker Books)
• What Feelings Do When No One’s Looking by Aleksandra Zając, written by Tina Oziewicz (Pushkin Press)

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.

You can read more details about the longlists on the official Yoto Carnegies website here, including the full list of all 31 books that have been recognised.

The winners of the UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards were announced on 16th June in a ceremony at The British Library.  

The Yoto Carnegie Medalis awarded to Katya Balen for her second novel October, October(Bloomsbury), illustrated by Angela Harding – her debut novel, The Space We’re In was longlisted in 2019. October, October is a “beautiful” and “captivating” story of a girl, October, who must learn to spread her wings after a childhood spent living wild in the woods changes dramatically the year she turns 11. The story was inspired by Balen’s father-in-law who lives off-grid, and her own love of mudlarking and the outdoors.  

Danica Novgorodoff’s illustrated edition of Jason Reynold’s 2019 Carnegie-shortlisted book, Long Way Down (Faber)wins the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal – the first graphic novel to win since Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas in 1973. It is her debut children’s book published in the UK and is an “innovative” adaptation of the original verse novel of gun violence and grief written by 2021 Yoto Carnegie Medal winner, Jason Reynolds (Look Both Ways). The book features hundreds of “stunning” watercolours depicting the decision that 15-year-old Will must make when his brother is shot.  

October, October and Long Way Down, which are both published by independent publishers Bloomsbury and Faber respectively, place readers directly into the main characters’ shoes as they face challenges that upend their lives. Through Balen’s poetic prose and Novgorodoff’s breath-taking illustrations, October and Will’s emotions are brought to life on the page. The books were praised by Chair of Judges Jennifer Horan for their ability to “build empathy” and “offer hope, comfort and enjoyment.” Both winners gave powerful speeches at the ceremony sharing their passion about the freedom and connection that stories in all forms can provide young readers, and the paramount importance of children being allowed and encouraged to read whatever they choose.  

Balen’s October, October has done the double and scooped this year’s Shadowers’ Choice Award for the Yoto Carnegie Medal, after tens of thousands of young people across the UK and internationally read and debated the shortlisted books before voting for their favourites. The winner of the Shadowers’ Choice Award for the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal is The Midnight Fair (Walker Books ) illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio – an illustrator, storyboard artist and concept designer from Rome, Italy – and written by Gideon Sterer. It is a heart-warming, immersive wordless picture book that uncovers the secret life of animals who prowl a fairground at night, featuring sumptuous use of colour and contrast, which invoke all the senses.  

It's time to book your tickets to the 2022 YLG Conference!

16-18 SEP 2022 YLG is coming to Sheffield for Reading the Planet: Libraries in a Changing Climate. Geographically situated around the middle of the UK and with great transport links, Sheffield is the ideal and convenient place for us to bring together speakers, delegates and exhibitors for the live networking we all have missed over the past two years.

But we recognise that things have changed over the past two COVID inflicted years and we have recognised the positive aspects of virtual conferencing. The simple option would be to offer a fully hybrid model with streaming of live events, but sadly that is beyond what our budgets could afford and what we think our delegates could pay. So, we have come up with a unique YLG solution! We will be offering a virtual programme for those who cannot travel or who cannot afford the full conference. Those who sign up for the live conference will be able to access the virtual sessions for free. We hope that this way we can offer something for all our members whatever their circumstances. It also opens the door to exciting international possibilities for the programme!

Click here to see our full programme!

The venue is The Quays Hotel, Sheffield offering 4* accommodation in the historic Victoria Quays area of Sheffield. Located just 45 minutes’ drive from East Midlands Airport, 15 minutes from the M1 and only 2 minutes’ walk from the city centre and railway station. Free parking and free access to Leisure club and pool for delegates.

We also recognise that employers are increasingly reluctant to cover the costs of accommodation and so we will not be offering all-inclusive residential packages. Your conference fee will just cover the training and meals and so should be much more straightforward to reclaim. Delegates will be able to book rooms at the hotel if they wish (£85 B&B) or we will provide a list of other hotels and guesthouses nearby. Some enterprising Sheffield librarians might also let out rooms! This way we believe that we can keep costs to the absolute minimum for our members.

Following COP26 the conference theme could not be more topical. Young people’s activism around the environment, climate change and more generally on societal change, gives us all hope for the future. We know this is a real growth area in publishing and that there are some stunning books and passionate authors. We know how important it is that the next generation is well informed and able to distinguish between facts and fake news. Libraries find themselves in a challenging political climate too and so we want to hear from library advocates. We want to know how publishing is planning for a sustainable future and as ever we are all concerned with literacy and equality of opportunity for all to become readers for life. In terms of reading the planet we are interested in world literature too. It is so important for empathy that readers are exposed to a wide range of cultures and lives. 

To book your in-person tickets, click here.

To book your virtual tickets, click here.

Accommodation is available at the conference hotel at a special rate for B&B of £85 pp (+£10 for double occupancy). To book please telephone the Events team 011425 25500 Option 3 and quote CILIPYLG. For information about other accommodation in the area please check the YLG website.

Wednesday 16th February 2022:  The UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards, today announced the shortlists for 2022.

The Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration respectively and are unique in being judged by children’s and youth librarians, with the Shadowers’ Choice Award voted for by children and young people.

16 books have been selected in total – eight for the Yoto Carnegie Medal and eight for the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal – from a longlist of 33 titles. They were chosen by an expert team of volunteer judges, featuring 14 librarians from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group based across the UK.

The 2022 Yoto Carnegie Medal shortlist (alphabetical by author surname):

• October, October by Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding (Bloomsbury)
• Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin (Macmillan Children’s Books)
• When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle (Andersen Press)
• Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (Faber)
• The Crossing by Manjeet Mann (Penguin Children’s Books)
• Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada (Guppy Books)
• Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (Andersen Press)
• Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

The 2022 Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist (alphabetical by illustrator surname):

• Drawn Across Borders illustrated and written by George Butler (Walker Books)
• The Midnight Fair illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, written by Gideon Sterer (Walker Books)
• Too Much Stuff illustrated and written by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots, Macmillan Children’s Books)
• Long Way Down illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff, written by Jason Reynolds (Faber)
• Milo Imagines the World illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Matt de la Pena (Two Hoots, Macmillan Children’s Books)
• Shu Lin’s Grandpa illustrated by Yu Rong, written by Matt Goodfellow (Otter-Barry Books)
• I Talk Like a River illustrated by Sydney Smith, written by Jordan Scott (Walker Books)
• The Wanderer illustrated and written by Peter Van den Ende (Pushkin Children’s Books)

Shortlist celebrations

This year, the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards are running a series of #YotoCarnegieReadAlong and #YotoGreenawayDrawAlong events. There will be two live events, along with shortlist packs available for schools and libraries to enable them to host their own celebrations. More details will be released soon.

The Awards are also expanding their reading campaign with shortlist POS packs being made available to public and school libraries as well as to retailers for the first time, including stickers, bookmarks and posters.

Winner announcement

The winners will be announced and celebrated on Thursday 16th June at a lunchtime ceremony at The British Library, hosted by award-winning poet and novelist Dean Atta, who won the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice for The Black Flamingo in 2020.

The winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library, a specially commissioned golden medal and a £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize.

Now in its fourth year, the Shadowers’ Choice Award – voted for and awarded by the children and young people who shadow the Medals – will also be announced at the ceremony. To kick off the 2022 Shadowing process, that launches today, yesterday (15 March) shadowing groups enjoyed a special virtual event featuring last year’s Carnegie winner Jason Reynolds interviewed by 2022 judge and librarian Kelly Fuller.

The Awards are sponsored by Yoto, the innovative, screen-free audio platform for children; Peters, the official book supplier; and ALCS, champions of authors’ rights. With their support, the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards aim to inspire and empower a new generation of readers.

Click here for further information on the Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards

#CKG22

For media requests and interviews, please contact:
Hannah Davies or Annabelle Wright at ed public relations on
hannah@edpr.co.uk or annabelle@edpr.co.uk or 020 7732 4796

 

Youth Libraries Group and Enid Blyton Entertainment are pleased to announce the 2021 shortlisted librarians for this year’s YLG Award:

Jenny Hawke – Children’s Librarian, Bromley Libraries

Jude Lynn – Librarian, Kirklees Libraries

Sarah Smith – Libraries Development Manager, Brent Culture Service, Brent Council

Each shortlisted librarian has demonstrated a breadth of outstanding work with children and young people and will receive a fully-funded delegate place at YLG’s 2021 Virtual conference, Representations of Place, 13-19 September.

The winner will be announced by the 2020 YLG Award recipient, Zoey Dixon, at the conference between 19:00-20:30 on Friday 17th September.