IBC announces 2025 awards shortlist and Hay Festival partnership
Inclusive Books for Children (IBC) has announced the 12 books on the shortlist for its 2025 awards.
The IBC Awards recognise the best new inclusive children’s books published in the UK across three categories: books for babies and toddlers (aged one to three), picture books (for ages three to seven) and children’s fiction (for ages five to nine). The winners will share £30k in prize money.
The 12 shortlisted titles are:
Baby and Toddler
Bhorta Bhorta Baby! by Jumana Rahman and Maryam Huq, Bok Bok Books
Our World: Democratic Republic of the Congo by Mel Nyoko and Joelle Avelino, Barefoot Books
Zeki Eats Out by Anna McQuinn and Ruth Hearson, Alanna Max
Picture Books
Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green and Francis Martin, Little Tiger
Strong Like Me by Kelechi Okafor and Michaela Dias-Hayes, Puffin
Terrible Horses by Raymond Antrobus and Ken Wilson-Max, Walker Books
Two People Can by Blessing Musariri and Maisie Paradise Shearring, Kumusha Books
Until You Find the Sun by By Maryam Hassan and Anna Wilson, Hodder Children’s Books
Children’s Fiction
Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise by Adeola Sokunbi, Nosy Crow
Keisha Jones Is a Force of Nature by Natalie Denny and Chanté Timothy, Little Tiger
Marv and the Humongous Hamster by Alex Falase-Koya and Paula Bowles, Oxford Children’s Books
Secret Beast Club: The Mer-People of Crystal Pier by Robin Birch and Jobe Anderson, Puffin
Judge Liz Pemberton said, ‘The books we shortlisted were vibrant, emotional and told some absolutely essential stories. Choosing the final shortlist was nearly impossible in some cases, and the length of deliberation on the judging day was a further reminder about the high quality of the submissions.’
Fellow judges include author and former Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho.
In further news, Inclusive Books for Children is also partnering with Hay Festival to bring the award-winning books, along with their authors and illustrators, to a wider audience. Starting this year, IBC award-winners will take part in an exclusive Hay x IBC interactive family storytelling event with a book signing at the Hay Festival bookshop. The bookshop will also feature a dedicated Inclusive Books for Children section showcasing IBC’s top-reviewed books of the year, including the longlisted titles from the 2024 and 2025 awards.
Sarah Satha, co-founder of IBC, said, ‘The storytelling across this collection is first-rate, taking us on profound emotional journeys, to whole new worlds, or on exhilarating adventures. The additional work and care that creators must undertake to make their stories inclusive takes that storytelling to the next level, making these books essential reading for a new generation of open-hearted young book lovers.’
The winners will be announced at a special award ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 26th February 2025.
