UKLA Book Awards 2027:
Submissions for the UKLA Book Awards 2027 are now closed. Thanks to all those that have submitted.
UKLA Book Awards 2026:
The Shortlists for the 2026 UKLA Book Awards are now live! This year there were 85 judges covering the four categories, and after months of reading and careful deliberation, they’ve picked the titles they believe to be the highest quality children’s literature
You can read the press release, with the full Shortlists here: https://ukla.org/ukla-book-awards-shortlist-2026/
Please visit each age each category page below to see the individual Shortlists.
Purchasing the Shortlists:
Each shortlist can be purchased as a bundle from our Awards sponsors, Just Imagine, using the following link: https://pci.jotform.com/form/260842832557362
You can use the links below to buy them through our friends at LoveReading4Kids. Not only do you get discounted books, but with every purchase you get 25% of your purchase total to donate to a school of your choice.
3-6+ Titles: https://tidd.ly/4dwH3RP
7-10+ Titles: https://tidd.ly/4rOL4EU
11-14+ Titles: https://tidd.ly/4d28dQv
Info 3-14+ Titles: https://tidd.ly/487dfrt
About the Awards:
The UKLA Book Awards are the only national children’s book awards judged by teachers. The Book Awards seek to celebrate children’s books in order to promote the place of books for young people in all educational settings, and to encourage teachers in their knowledge of the high-quality children’s books that can reflect all identities and promote diversity being published every year. The books selected for the Awards each year are titles that teachers can share with pupils as part of regular classroom experiences, whether that be Reading for Pleasure or extended projects focusing on the text .
Selection committees and teacher judges are asked to look, first and foremost, for well-written, engaging ‘reads’ and, where appropriate, outstanding illustration and design.
Submissions:
- Submissions for the Book Awards are open each year in May-June. Submissions made are for the Awards the following year – submissions made in 2024 are for the 2025 Awards
- The longlists are announced in September, then shortlists are announced in March
- All the authors and illustrators that make it to the shortlist are then invited to the UKLA International Conference in June/July where the Book Awards ceremony takes place, and the final winners are announced.
Find Out More:
Below can be found pages for the individual categories of the Awards, with further information about submissions and past winners. The full criteria for the Book Awards can also be found in the following document.
