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Wainwright Prize Shortlists 2026 – books needed more than ever

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The Wainwright Prize, the UK’s top nature and conservation writing awards, have announced their 2026 shortlists.

The awards showcase writing that reflects the values of its namesake, Alfred Wainwright: the celebration of nature and our environment, nurturing respect for our planet, and informing readers of the threats that the earth currently faces. The shortlists include books for adults and young readers.

The children’s books shortlists are:

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize for Fiction shortlist:

The Waters and the Wild, Eilish Fisher, illustrated by David Rooney (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

The Green Kingdom, Cornelia Funke and Tammi Hartung, illustrated by Melissa Castrillón (DK flip)

The Lone Husky, Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Swanfall, Sophie Kirtley (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

The Adventures of Portly the Otter: Untold Tales From the Wind in the Willows, M.G. Leonard, illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Farshore, HarperCollins)

The Danger of Small Things, Caryl Lewis (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Birdlands, Anthony McGowan, illustrated by Keith Robinson (Rock the Boat, Oneworld Publications)

Tree Thing, Piers Torday, illustrated by Matthew Taylor Wilson (Quercus Children’s Books)

 

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist:

An Anthology of Remarkable Bugs, Jess French (DK Children’s)

Letters From Wonderland, Josie George, illustrated by Becky Thorns (Faber & Faber)

Otherlands: An Illustrated Journey Through Earth’s Lost Worlds, Thomas Halliday, illustrated by Gavin Scott (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

Shapes of Nature, Ben Hoare (DK Children’s)

Choose Your Own Evolution, Jules Howard, illustrated by Gordy Wright (Nosy Crow)

A Wild Child’s Guide to Nature at Night, Dara McAnulty, illustrated by Barry Falls (Macmillan Children’s Books)

The Cave Explorer, Kate Winter (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

 

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize for Picture Books shortlist:

A River Running Through You, Amy-Jane Beer, illustrated by Elin Manon (Magic Cat Publishing)

The Great Bear, Annie Booker (Two Hoots)

Whale Song, Nicola Davies & Britta Teckentrup (Walker Books)

The Sun Thief, Alice Hemming & Nicola Slater (Scholastic)

Firefly, Robert Macfarlane & Luke Adam Hawker (Magic Cat Publishing)

The Summer Puppy, Jackie Morris & Cathy Fisher (Otter-Barry Books)

Isla and the Sky, Greg Stobbs (Oxford University Press)

The Whale That Sings in the Deep, Yuval Zommer (Oxford University Press)

The 2026 shortlists were selected by an academy made up of independent booksellers, specialist nature reviewers, and authors from across the UK. To select this year’s winners, new panels will take over to judge each of the six categories, bringing together a breadth of expertise across environmental journalism and media, conservation, science, literature, education, and the creative industries.

Of this year’s shortlist, Wainwright Prize ambassador and 2026 host, Henry Bird, says: ‘Each of the categories for this year’s Wainwright Prize reflects the remarkable breadth of stories and ideas explored through environmental literature. Over the past few weeks of reading, I’ve traversed bogs and scaled treetops, been transported thousands of years into the past and generations ahead to the future, felt pangs of despair at what this world has lost and glimmers of hope at what it stands to gain. With the natural world in crisis, I’d go so far as to say that we need these books, now more than ever.’

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 17th September 2026 at the Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent, hosted by Wainwright Prize ambassador and The Times journalist and environmental writer Henry Bird. In addition to the six individual category winners, two exceptional titles will be honoured as the overall winners of The Wainwright Prize: one for adult writing and one for children’s writing. These will be chosen from the respective category winners and will be celebrated as the 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year and the 2026 Wainwright Children’s Prize Book of the Year. Both overall winners will receive £2,500, with the remaining category winners each awarded £500.

 

Something for everyone: shortlist for CLiPPA 2026 announced

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The shortlist for the CLiPPA, CLPE Poetry Award, has been announced. Schools across the country tuned in live to hear Children’s Laureate Wales, Nicola Davies, reveal the five shortlisted collections and to enjoy live performances from the poets.

 

The shortlist is:

The Poetry World of John Agard by John Agard, illustrated by Shirley Hottier, Otter-Barry Books
The warmth and playfulness is irresistible, say the judges, Agard’s voice is so distinctive and reading this is like getting a hug.

Press Start to Play by Sam Gayton, illustrated by Jack Noel, Andersen Press
Interactive, relatable and a gateway into word play, there’s lots to appeal here, say the judges, and the book dispels old notions of what poetry is.

A First Book of Bugs by Simon Mole, illustrated by Adam Ming, Walker Books
A brilliant book to share with children, say the judges, it will spark their curiosity about the natural world and their desire to write.

Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, Walker Books
This will have everyone joining in, say the judges, who loved the memorable rhymes, the storytelling element and the way the book provides so many opportunities for contact and bonding.

This is Not a Small Voice: Poems by Black Poets edited by Traci N. Todd, illustrated by Jade Orlando, Nosy Crow
Beautiful, say the judges, wonderful poems full of music, insight and originality, with strong design and handsome illustrations.

Shortlisted poets Sam Gayton, Simon Mole, Sean Taylor and, from the US, editor Traci N. Todd, gave readings at the virtual event, with illustrator Shirley Hottier representing John Agard.

Nicola Davies, who was Highly Commended for the CLiPPA in 2023 with Choose Love, illustrated by Petr Horáček, says, ‘One of the great powers of poetry for children and young people is in its variety; every child can find a poem that speaks to them. The list of nominees for this year’s CLiPPA absolutely represented that glorious diversity of voice and form. Which of course made the job of the judging panel both especially joyful and especially difficult! After much heartfelt deliberation and reading poems aloud to each other, we arrived at a shortlist that I think contains something for everyone. I hope every child can find a poem contained in this shortlist that will delight them and in which they feel their experience of being alive in the world today, reflected.’

The CLiPPA encourages schools to explore the shortlist with their pupils through its unique Shadowing Scheme, which each year prompts poetry performances in hundreds of classrooms. Children in schools across the UK will now choose their favourite poems from the collections and create their own poetry performances, either solo or in groups. The best of these will be celebrated at the joyous CLiPPA award ceremony at the National Theatre on Thursday, 9 July.

Anjali Patel, judge and Lead Advisory Teacher, CLPE said ‘This year’s CLiPPA shortlist demonstrates the rich variety and high quality of the poetry being published for children today. At CLPE we know that poetry is the perfect route into reading and oracy for children and that it has a unique appeal to their love of language and play, so we are delighted to be sharing these five books with young people, and in the National Year of Reading expect record numbers of schools to participate in the CLiPPA Shadowing’

The Shadowing Scheme is free for schools and launches on 20 April 2026. Schools can register their interest to take part now.

Nicola Davies is joined on the judging panel by 2025 CLiPPA winner, Colette Hiller; Reading Development and Children’s Book Consultant, Jake Hope; Lisa Mead, CEO of Apples and Snakes; and Anjali Patel, Lead Advisory Teacher, CLPE.

The winner will be announced at the CLiPPA Poetry Show, live onstage at the National Theatre on London’s Southbank, Thursday 9 July and receives £1,000. The event will feature live poet readings from each shortlisted collection and the winning Shadowing performances too. Long-time CLiPPA supporter, former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell will live draw the event.

Shortlist announced for the 2026 Information Book Award (IBA)

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The School Library Association (SLA) has revealed the shortlist for the 2026 Information Book Award (IBA), celebrating inspiring UK-published information books for young people, up to age 16.

The SLA has also announced new sponsorship for the IBA, with DK, the children’s non-fiction publisher, joining the Award as sponsor. This is an exciting new development, which reflects the IBA’s growing focus on pupil voice and school engagement.

Sarah Later, Managing Director of DK Children’s said, ‘At DK, we champion the transformative power of books. In the National Year of Reading, school libraries matter more than ever. As many young readers gravitate toward non-fiction, the Information Book Award is essential, celebrating the remarkable talent that makes our world come alive.’

The 12 books on the IBA shortlist range from picture books to choose your own adventures and encyclopaedias, covering everything from why we sleep, to where we came from. Chair of judges, Helen Cleaves said, ‘From automata to autism, this shortlist is nothing if not diverse, offering a wealth of information adventures for children from toddler to teen. What’s more, these books have the whole package: stunning artwork and meticulous design combine with engaging text for maximum impact.’

Under 7 age category shortlist:

A Billion Ways to Be, Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo, Franklin Watts, Hachette Children’s Group

Frog: A Story of Life on Earth, Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egneus, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Recycling Day: What Happens to the Things We Throw Away, Polly Faber, illustrated by Klas Fahlén, Nosy Crow

Where Did She Go?, Cariad Lloyd, illustrated by Tom Percival, Hodder, Hachette Children’s Group

8 – 12 age category shortlist:

About Time, Rebecca Struthers and Alom Shaha, illustrated by Lucy Rose, DK

Choose Your Own Evolution, Jules Howard, illustrated by Gordy Wright, Nosy Crow

Science Detective Agency, Steve Derrick, illustrated by Miriam Serafin, Wayland, Hachette Children’s Group

Why Do We Sleep?, Cathy Evans, illustrated by Polya Plavinskaia, Cicada Books

13– 16 age category shortlist:

Explodapedia: The Brain, Ben Martynoga, illustrated by Moose Allain, David Fickling Books

It’s a Brave Young World, Anu Adebogun, illustrated by Soofiya and Lila Cruz, Little Tiger

Normal Women, Philippa Gregory, illustrated by Alexis Snell, Red Shed, Farshore

Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods in Our Own Words, edited by Jen Campbell, James Catchpole and Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Sophie Kamlish, Faber and Faber

The shortlist was selected by a panel of judges made up of SLA member librarians, industry representatives and authors, including SLA Patron Smriti Halls.

Children across the country can now read the shortlisted titles and cast their votes in the Award’s Children’s Choice categories.

All schools who sign up to take part in the Book Club receive free resources, and those who do so before Friday 13th February will have the opportunity to receive a free pack of shortlisted books in one age category, thanks to generous support from the Authors Licensing and Collection Society (ALCS).

The voting period will run until May 2026, giving schools the chance to hold meaningful book club sessions across several weeks. Taking part in the IBA Book Club will help children develop critical thinking skills, develop confidence in communicating their opinions, find new interests and fire up their love of reading.

The winners of the IBA and the Children’s Choice accolades will be announced in the summer. Four awards will be given by both the judges and the school children shadowing the Award, with each group choosing a winner in each age category and an overall winner. Last year’s overall IBA winner was Black History for Every Day of the Year by David, Yinka and Kemi Olusoga, while the overall Children’s Choice went to Amazing Asia by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Jason Lyon.

Victoria Dilly, CEO of the SLA said, ‘For librarians, teachers, parents and children, information books can offer a new route into reading, which encourages curiosity about the world around us, and creates an ideal opportunity for a shared experience: whether that’s sharing newfound facts, looking at engaging illustrations together, or exploring a freshly discovered interest. This year’s IBA shortlist showcases a diverse collection of books that cover a vast range of subjects. I can’t wait to hear from all the librarians and pupils who will be exploring these books through the IBA Book Club.’

Book packs of the shortlisted titles will be available to buy from Peters Books at a discount of 20%.

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