Winners of The Harpercollins Reading for Pleasure Awards 2025
The winners of The HarperCollins Reading for Pleasure Awards 2025, in association with the Open University and the UK Literacy Association (UKLA), have been announced. Now in their ninth year, the awards recognise and celebrate teachers and educators who are putting Reading for Pleasure at the heart of their practice in creative and innovative ways, to inspire children to read. This year, Rob Biddulph, acclaimed author and illustrator, joined the judging panel as the guest judge.
The winners were awarded across six categories this year, with each category receiving £250 worth of HarperCollins books and 20 copies of Help Your Child Love Reading by Alison David. Many of the categories also include a ‘highly commended’ recipient which reflects and commends their hugely impactful work to encourage reading for pleasure.
Early Career Teacher
Winner: Audrey Littleboy from the Notre Dame Academy in Liverpool
Highly Commended: Johanna Burke, student teacher
Experienced Teacher
Winner: Rachel Saunders from Miriam Lord Primary School in Manningham, Bradford
Highly Commended: Lauren Usher from St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, Tyne and Wear
School Reading Champion
Winner: Samuel Smith from St Mary’s Catholic School, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire
Highly Commended: Hayley Lang from Rivendell Flying High Academy Primary School, Nottingham
Whole School
Winner: Willow Primary School, Bessacarr, Doncaster (with the entry submitted by Nichola Rossall)
Community Reading
Winner: Clare McGreevy from Rochdale Virtual School, Rochdale Council
Highly Commended: October Jones from Roehampton Children’s Library in Wandsworth, London and Cathie Holden from The Bookery Community Bookshop in Crediton, Devon
Author’s Choice
Winner: Maisie Wyatt from The Sir Donald Bailey Academy, Newark, Nottinghamshire
The judges were impressed with the range of entries and breadth of ideas to engage children and their communities in reading for pleasure, with high levels of engagement and enthusiasm shining through.
Across the winners, there was a clear demonstration of ambition and strategy in all the entries, from creating comfortable spaces to read in their school settings, connecting reading to hobbies such as football or streaming films, and then encouraging and giving children choice about what they read, which is proven to boost children’s enjoyment of reading. This year’s winners have also engaged school staff and parents in reading for pleasure, so that children have positive reading role models.
And finally, on Maisie Wyatt, the Author’s Choice, Rob Biddulph said ‘I was particularly delighted to give Maisie Wyatt at The Sir Donald Bailey Academy the Author’s Choice award for her brilliant Bookflix idea, which cleverly links books to films and encourages children to explore stories in imaginative, hands-on ways. It’s a perfect example of meeting young readers where they already are and showing them that reading can be just as thrilling and fun as the other media they love.’
Teresa Cremin, Professor of Literacy in Education at The Open University, said, ‘So many of the entries this year highlight the significant role that adults (teachers- librarians- parents) play as reading role models for the young. Many also wonderfully show the impact of friends and peers. As our OU research reveals, building reading networks and communities in which everyone is involved, supports and sustains readers of whatever age.’
The winners were announced at the Open University Reading for Pleasure Conference on Saturday 18 October in Milton Keynes.
