Behind the Scenes: A Q&A with the Carnegie Judges

Posted on 2 June 2025

We spoke to Carnegie judges Kevin Sheehan and Nicole Wilson to learn about their experiences as judges, and get insights into the selection process, their favourite moments and how they decide to shortlist a book.

Can you walk us through the selection process for the Carnegie Medal? What does a typical judging journey look like from start to finish?

Nicole: The first big day in your Carnegie judging journey is when nominations open in September – this is a nationwide call out to all librarians to submit books that they think are outstanding for consideration. Once the nominations are received, the judges start to receive book post and we all get to know our posties very well! As a judge, we must read every book that is nominated all while keeping a close eye on and constantly thinking about the judging criteria. You have an initial deadline which is the meeting to decide the longlist. To get through all the books, reading fully and thoroughly, means that you are constantly reading. I read on the bus, in queues, in waiting rooms, and every evening at home. I had a couple days of rest at Christmas then it was straight back into reading! Alongside the reading, you are also continuously making and organising notes. Voice notes, notes on the back of receipts, typed and handwritten – every time a thought about the book I was currently reading occurred to me, it was noted down. By the time we get to that first longlist meeting, a judge has read approximately 120-odd books across both Writing and Illustration nominations. Our thoughts have become a jumble of plot points, character names and poignant/relevant observations – without notes it would be absolute chaos!

Once the longlist has been decided, it is then a case of re-reading and re-thinking about the books to be prepared for the shortlist meetings. This round of re-reading and re-thinking happens again once the shortlist is chosen as we prepare to meet to choose the winners of the Carnegie Medals for Writing and Illustration. Once the winners are chosen, you start to prepare for the journey to London for the Ceremony which is such a lovely celebration of a very long year of work. If you are a first-year judge, once that Ceremony is over you have maybe a couple of weeks to rest, then it all begins again! It is a very full two years.

How are you finding the experience of reading with a judge’s eye? Has it changed the way you approach children’s and YA books?

Kevin Having judged the award, I do feel that it has changed me a great deal, particularly on how I approach fictional characters within a story. If characters are not authentic, then I find cracks will begin to appear in other parts of the story such as the plot. I get vexed when I come across characters that display generalised and stereotypical traits. I feel it is lazy writing and shows complete disrespect to the reader and the group of people that they are representing.

Nicole: Reading with a judge’s eye is so very daunting at first. If you have not looked at it, do go and read the judging criteria on the website. We must always keep this in mind when reading for the awards and remember that our overall mission is to find those outstanding reading experiences for children and young people. However, with the help of the second year judges, the Chair and everyone else involved in the Carnegies as a whole, the experience becomes much more second-nature. You learn not to question yourself so much. By the time I became one of those second year judges, I felt a lot more confident and relaxed about reading with a judge’s eye.

I’ve found that now that I will be stopping judging I have to make a conscious effort to not read children’s and YA books with a judging eye! It was very informative and it has led me to appreciate the craft of the writer and the illustrator more, as well as introduce new authors to the school library where I work. However, it is truly lovely to be able to read what I want to read, just because I want to read it, without having to think about the plot, themes, characterisation and style.

What have been some of your favourite moments so far?

Kevin: My most favourite moment was identifying the winner of the Illustration prize during the very early stages of the process. I was mesmerised and struck by the illustrations. It gave me a flutter and strange feeling physically; I knew what I had in front of me was a winner. From this point forward I championed this title in the online meetings. A job made a lot easier as thankfully my fellow judges felt the same. But on the other hand, there was a specific title that despite not being longlisted, and criticised by some judges, had me enraptured; it has been read several times ever since due to enjoyment. I am very grateful to the librarian who nominated this title and for the pleasure it has given me.

Nicole: I think my favourite moments of the whole judging process are when a fellow judge opens your eyes and/or mind to something within a book. This could be something that you maybe didn’t understand or missed in your first reading. It gives you the chance to go back and look for these things on re-reading. But it is also so interesting to view the various ways that all the judges read and interpret the books. Yes, we have the same criteria, but we are also all unique with our own experiences and thought process. That mix of different perspectives really allows us to share and listen to each other, respectfully disagreeing and debating with open minds and a willingness to understand what someone else has to say.

What does being a Carnegie judge mean to you? Has the experience so far influenced how you think about storytelling or young readers?

Kevin: It has taught me that good illustrated children’s books should not just be pretty pictures accompanied by a pleasant narrative. Every decision made by the illustrator, whether that be using a particular colour or using a specific drawing medium, will mean something. Every decision that an illustrator will make will be deliberate. It may be to evoke an emotion or feeling, or perhaps to create a sense of place.

Nicole: Being a Carnegie judge means so much to me. I was encouraged to apply for the position by colleagues that I greatly respect and who have pushed me to further my career in librarianship and working with young readers. I honestly never thought I would be successful in my application – I suffer a great deal from Imposter Syndrome at times – and thought that I did not have enough experience to be selected. That email offering me the role genuinely made me cry. I think being a judge has helped me realise that I do have value in my role as a school librarian and that the experience and knowledge I have amassed about children’s and YA literature is of real use to those I work with. The judging experience has also given me faith in future generations of readers, writers and illustrators – there are so many incredible people out there writing about important issues and having the courage to put themselves out there. And most importantly, young readers are reading and having conversations about these books!

Having the opportunity to immerse myself in accomplished and outstanding literature for children and young people over the course of the past two years has been an unforgettable experience. I also feel highly privileged to join the ranks of Carnegie judges and would have to say it has been the highlight of my library career (so far!)

You can get your Carnegies shortlist writing and illustration book packs from Scholastic, with a 35% discount, plus free delivery to your school!