Literary award · United Kingdom · since 1936

Carnegie Medal

Annual award for writing a children's book published in the U.K. Established 1936 in United Kingdom.

About Carnegie Medal

The Carnegie Medal for Writing, established in 1936 as the Carnegie Medal, is an annual British literary award for English-language books for children or young adults. It is conferred upon the author by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), who in 2016 called it "the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for children's writing". Nominated books must be written in English and first published in the UK during the preceding school year (September to August). Until 1969, the award was limited to books by British authors first published in England. The first non-British medalist was Australian author Ivan Southall for Josh (1972). The original rules also prohibited winning authors from future consideration. The first author to win a second Carnegie Medal was Peter Dickinson in 1981, who won consecutively for Tulku and City of Gold.

From the Wikipedia article “Carnegie Medal for Writing”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2039Anne FineNone
2023Margo JeffersonConstructing a Nervous System
2021Jason ReynoldsLook Both Ways
2020Anthony McGowanLark
2019Elizabeth Acevedo—
2018Geraldine McCaughreanWhere the World Ends
2017Ruta Sepetys—
2016Sarah CrossanOne
2015Tanya Landman—
2015Sam J. Angus—

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Carnegie Medal for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data