Carnegies Medal and Shadowers’ Choice 2026 winners revealed
The winners of the UK’s oldest and best loved children’s book awards have been revealed as Beth O’Brien and Kate Rolfe.
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HE Carnegies, run by CILIP and judged by librarians, recognise the best in children’s writing
and illustration – awarding the prestigious Carnegie Medals to winners in each category. Beth O’Brien was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Writing for her feminist reimagining of Red Riding Hood, Wolf Siren (HarperCollins Publishers), while Kate Rolfe won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration for Wiggling Words (Two Hoots).
Beth’s updated Red Riding Hood story draws on her own lived experience of visual impairments, and her desire to represent those experiences in a story with nuance and balance. Judges described Wolf Siren as a “wonderful fairy tale for our times, where hope triumphs over despair and justice over apathy”. Stella Hine, Chair of Judges, adds: “Red is a thoroughly traditional and yet modern heroine whose journey includes timeless messages for all,
young and old. The environmental messages are clear, the language is sublime, and the rich content covering many contemporary themes invites reflection.” Wolf Siren, a captivating feminist reimagining of Red Riding Hood, came from a desire to tell stories that spotlight the nuanced spectrum of sight, inspired by her own lived experience of visual impairment. Blindness is often misrepresented as total sight loss, but in reality 93 per cent of blind and partially sighted people experience a spectrum of light, movement, and colour. This authentic experience leads Beth to write lyrically, describing not what she sees but how she sees, inviting readers to uncover her world with all their senses. The Judges praised this “fresh” storytelling, and her “richly layered symbolism” to write a “strikingly relevant” reimagining exploring power, gender stereotypes and disability.
Beth O’Brien
Beth said that she was “stunned and delighted” when she found out that Wolf Siren had been chosen as this year’s Carnegie Medal for Writing winner. She said: “It is beyond the wildest hopes I ever had for this story! Wolf Siren speaks to so many things that I care about, from visual impairment representation and period stigma to the abuse of power and weaponised belief systems. And on a personal level it is about family, sisterhood, and friendship in the face of all this. It’s an honour to know this resonated with the judges and I am so grateful that this whole Carnegie journey has allowed Wolf Siren to find its way into the hands (or ears!) of young readers.”
Kate Rolfe’s Wiggling Words provides a “deeply personal, yet universal” exploration of what reading is like for people with dyslexia. Taking an innovative approach to the use of typography and contrasting colours, the picture book illustrates a transformative journey from chaos and confusion to an empowering celebration of creativity and the universal experience of learning to read.
Chair of Judges Stella described Wiggling Words as “a joyous and deceptively simple insight into the world of a dyslexic reader,” adding: “Using typography and their signature cyanotype technique, Kate Rolfe not only affords the dyslexic reader a voice but also invites the non-dyslexic reader into this unique world. We accompany the young protagonist on their journey from frustration to empowerment.” Wiggling Words is a celebration of Kate’s neurodiversity. The judges
Kate Rolfe. Spring-Summer 2026
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