The Yoto Carnegies 2023 longlist launches today, with nominations that range from stories of intimate family life to sensitive introductions to societal issues.

The Yoto Carnegies is the UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, and is managed by CILIP. This year, the longlist is dominated by independent publishers, and many finalists’ works reflect on past histories or look to the future of our planet.

Medals are awarded annually by CILIP together with the CILIP Youth Libraries Group (YLG).

There are 31 books on the list, 15 have been selected for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing longlist, and 18 for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration. See the longlisted titles here.

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

The awards aim to spark a lifelong passion for reading by connecting more children with books that will change lives. The longlists were chosen from 125 nominations by the judging panel, which includes 12 children’s and youth librarians from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group.

Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and overseas get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process. They read, discuss and review the books on the shortlists, get involved in reading related activity in groups, and vote for their favourite books to win The Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medals for Writing and Illustration.

The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded annually to a children’s book author whose writing creates an outstanding reading experience.

The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration is awarded annually to a children’s book illustrator whose artwork creates an outstanding reading experience.

The shortlists for the 2023 Yoto Carnegies will be announced on Friday 17 March. The winners’ ceremony will be hosted live and streamed from The Barbican on Wednesday 21 June. 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.

The winners of the Shadowers’ Choice Medals – voted for and awarded by the children and young people – will also be presented at the ceremony.

Visit the Yoto Carnegies site for more information.