The Changing Face of the Carnegie Medals

Posted on 11 June 2025

Blog by Jake Hope – Awards Executive for the Carnegies

Change has always been at the heart of the Carnegies, the oldest children’s book awards in the United Kingdom. They are judged and run by librarians, experts in reading and in selecting the very best stories for communicating some of the biggest and most exciting ideas. Judges volunteer their time and expertise to choose the very best books each year.

... ‘a few admirable books submered in an ocean of terrible trash.’ Library Association review on British publishing in 1930s

The origins of the awards date back to the early 1930s following a Library Association review which summarised that publishing in Britain at that point comprised ‘a few admirable books submerged in an ocean of terrible trash.’ This might feel a harsh comment, but it set out the stall for improvements and, through so doing, to exposing children and young people to stories and ideas which are explored in illuminating and engaging ways.

How do awards decide which books fill these requirements? Different awards do this in different ways. Some, like the Carnegies, have explicit criteria. We make those transparent and readily available to all on the website and have feedback from illustrators and authors alike that they are useful to them in helping to plan the stories they tell. The criteria are in place to help guide and support judges in their decision making and to ensure that there’s an objective framework in place which allows consideration of a vast array of different types of books.

The awards are judged solely by librarians and each represents one of twelve regions of Great Britain...

The judges are a crucial part of this too. For the Carnegies we ordinarily have a panel of between twelve and fourteen judges. The awards are judged solely by librarians and each represents one of twelve regions of Great Britain helping to recognise regional diversity and bringing together a range of perspectives that makes for robust and rigorous debate. All judges volunteer two years to judging the awards. During that time they read hundreds of books, speak to countless children and shadowing groups and act as ambassadors for the awards. The awards are powered by the passion of the library profession. They are impartial and independent with librarians nominating titles rather than publishers submitting for them. This means every nomination is a connection to a reader who feels that book comprises an outstanding read. That feels a remarkable thing.

We have two categories for the awards, one for illustration and one for writing. Both have helped to establish a canon of outstanding books which are highlighted in bookshops, libraries and in schools. The writing prize has recognised luminaries including Arthur Ransome – he was the inaugural winner with Pigeon Post the sixth book in his Swallows and Amazons series. It also includes writers such as Philip Pullman, Anne Fine, current Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce and former children’s laureate Joseph Coelho.

We have seen a rich diversity of techniques and media used ranging from watercolour, pen and ink, marbling and silhouettes, through to oil paints and mixed media and digital art.

In the case of the illustration award, it has recognised some of the biggest names in British children’s literature – Raymond Briggs, Shirley Hughes, Quentin Blake, Lauren Child, Jan Pienkowski to name just a few. We have seen a rich diversity of techniques and media used ranging from watercolour, pen and ink, marbling and silhouettes, through to oil paints and mixed media and digital art.

It’s easy to make the mistake that annual initiatives don’t change. There’s a wallpaper effect that easily happens; the awards are ever-present and so it can be easy to slide into feeling they are unchanging. The awards do adapt and grow though.

A major change occurred after 1955 when Lavender’s Blue: A Book of Nursery Rhymes was commended for the Carnegie Medal for Writing, for its illustration. Discussions had been being held about the prospects for an illustration award and a year later the Kate Greenaway medal was established aiming to recognised distinguished children’s book illustrations. Its inception was a little rocky, however, as no book was felt to be of sufficient merit to justify awarding it in its first year. It was inaugurated in 1957 with Edward Ardizzone’s picture book, Tim All Alone.

1968 saw a lot of the terms and conditions for the awards clarified. These changes would usher in some ground-breaking winners. In 1971 Ivan Southall won with Josh. It marked the first time that someone from outside the UK won; Southall was from Australia. A lot of children’s book awards are only open to people from the respective country where the award is administered. The Carnegies changed this policy to open the door to creators from other countries whose work is also published in the UK. It feels an important development, particularly given the tendency in the UK for publishing to export a great deal and to import comparatively little.

Another change in the terms and conditions was that authors and illustrators who had won the award previously would still be eligible to win a second time.

Another change in the terms and conditions was that authors and illustrators who had won the award previously would still be eligible to win a second time. This happened first with Peter Dickinson who won in consecutive years, in 1979 with ‘Tulku,’ a story about the Boxer Rebellion and again in 1980 with ‘City of Gold and Other Stories from the Old Testament’. So far, the Carnegie Medal for Writing has never been won more than twice by the same author, although one illustrator has won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration three times. That accolade goes to former children’s laureate, Chris Riddell.

In 2018 and 2019 the medals underwent an intensive period of change with the diversity review. This was chaired independently by Margaret Casely-Hayford and was a root and branch look at all aspects of the awards to try to ascertain what barriers might exist to people of colour winning the awards. There was a criteria review, a new mission was created for the awards and a new process of application for recruitment was introduced and the Shadowers’ Choices were publicly acknowledged.

We saw the first book by a person of colour win the award in 2019 with verse novel, ‘The Poet X’ by Elizabeth Acevedo.

We saw the first book by a person of colour win the award in 2019 with verse novel, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.Translated books were made eligible for both awards in 2015 and in 2023 we saw another first, the first translated book win, The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros. In 2024 we saw the first wordless picture book win the illustration prize with Aaron Becker’s The Tree and the River.

Even after well over 80 years, the awards are continuing to adapt and change. Evolution is an important way for the awards to remain relevant and helps make sure that the very best books are shortlisted and win helping to inspire readers, creators and publishers alike. It’s exciting to think what changes the future might hold and which books might be added to the list of winners for the awards…

Get your Carnegies shortlist writing and illustration book packs today, with a 35% discount!