Seventh Diverse Book Awards Shortlists Announced

The shortlists for the seventh Diverse Book Awards have been announced with a new children’s category this year: non-fiction. The Diverse Book Awards highlight the ‘outstanding diverse and inclusive books’ published by authors based in the UK and Ireland during 2026 and more than 200 books were submitted across the children’s and adult categories.

Readers in schools, libraries, book clubs, and homes across the country were invited to vote for their number one winner in each of the longlists as part of The Readers’ Choice Award. The winners will be confirmed at the ‘invite-only’ awards party on 22 October at Waterstones Piccadilly in London.

The Malorie Blackman Impact Award winner will also be revealed at the in-person event, previous winners are Malorie Blackman (2023), Nikesh Shukla (2024), and Sita Brahmachari (2025).

Abiola Bello, co-founder of The DBAs said, ‘We are serving up the best diverse shortlist in book publishing for all to read. It’s so exciting celebrating seven years of The Diverse Book Awards and seeing such fantastic books on the shortlist. There is a range of familiar names and past winners, as well as debuts. The judges have been so amazing helping us with the longlist and shortlist and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in October.’

The Diverse Book Awards Shortlist 2026 is:

Picture Books

Bessie’s Bees by Ana Gómez, George Kirk (Templar)

Carnival Queen by Donette Williams-Harry, Amélie-Anne Calmo (Little Tiger)

Cloud Boy by Greg Stobbs (Oxford University Press)

My Rice is Best by Selina Brown, Maxwell A. Oginni (Puffin)

Noah’s New Home by Zeshan Akhter, Nabila Adani (Templar Books)

Little Rhino Lost by Candy Gourlay, Jamie Bauza (Otter Barry Books)

Super Nani and Captain Yaz by Saira Shah, Maria Gabriela Gama (Templar Books)

The Bicycle by Patricia McCormick and Mevan Babakar, Yas Imamura (Farshore)

The Tour at School: Because you’re the new kid by Katie Clapham, Nadia Shireen (Walker Books)

Children’s Fiction:

How to Roller-Skate with One Leg by Ella Dove, Jennifer Jamieson (Orchard Books)

Kofi and the Brand New Vibe by Jeffrey Boakye (Faber & Faber)

My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle (Kelpies/ Floris Books)

My Soul, A Shining Tree by Jamila Gavin (Farshore)

Naeli and the Secret Song by Jasbinder Bilan (Chicken House)

Nate Yu’s Blast from the Past by Maisie Chan (Piccadilly Press)

Runaways by E.L.Norry (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

Running My Own Race by Abena Eyeson (Nosy Crow)

Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy (Nosy Crow)

 

Young Adult

Girl, Ultra-Processed by Amara Sage (Faber & Faber)

Heartbreaker by Anika Hussain (Hot Key Books)

Love on Sight by Asli Jensen (Chicken House)

Mondays Are Murder by Ravena Guron (Usborne)

Odd Girl Out by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid (David Fickling Books)

Roar by Manjeet Mann (Penguin Random House)

Stealing Happy by Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury YA)

The Girl with the Red Boots by Alex Wheatle (Hodder Children’s Books)

’Til Death by Busayo Matuluko (Simon and Schuster Children’s Books)

 

Picture Book/Children’s/Ya Non Fiction

Different Like Us! Inspiring Real Stories from Kids Everywhere by Margaret Rooke (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) – Children’s

It’s a Brave Young World by Anu Adebogun, Soofiya and Lila Cruz (Little Tiger) – YA

Ten Children Who Changed the World by Paterson Joseph, Rumbidzai Savanhu (Wren & Rook/Hachette) – Children’s

The Endless Sea by Chi Thai, Linh Dao (Walker Books) – Picture Books

We Are Your Children by David Roberts (Two Hoots) – YA