The winners of the Inclusive Books for Children Awards 2026 have been announced. The Awards celebrate the best UK-published inclusive children’s books for ages 1 to 9, and the winning titles reflect the breadth of children’s lives and experiences.

For the second time since the awards were launched in 2023, there is an all-female roster of winners. The authors and illustrators share a £30,000 prize fund and will also take part in a special event at the Hay Festival in May.

The category winners of the IBC Awards 2026 are:

Baby and toddler books

Let’s Play by Alex Strick, Annie Kubler and Sarah Dellow (Child’s Play)

Picture books

The Beautiful Layers of Me by Sophia Payne and Ruchi Mhasane (Walker Books)

Children’s fiction

Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy (Nosy Crow)

The winning books were selected by a panel of children’s literature experts, educators, authors and illustrators, who praised the books’ creators for ‘their compelling storytelling, strong visual composition and authentic representation.’

Chanté Timothy also won one of the inaugural Children’s Choice Awards, established by IBC as a pilot scheme to complement their main book prize and support children’s reading for pleasure. The other winners of the Children’s Choice Awards were Won’t Go! by Sumana Seeboruth and Fotini Tikkou (Barefoot Books) and Cloud Boy by Greg Stobbs (OUP). Primary school children across the country voted as part of the scheme, which will be rolled out more widely next year.

Awards judge, librarian and children’s literature academic Phyllis Ramage said, ‘The final choices were a tough decision for us; the winners stood out as exceptional in their field, and truly deserving of this award.’

Judge, illustrator and author Mei Matsuoka added, ‘These books are pushing boundaries and opening pathways into worlds that need to be represented more. I was delighted to see how inclusivity was incorporated into sweet, funny and engaging stories without overpowering them.’

Claire Bennett, deputy headteacher of North Ferriby Church of England Primary School, commented on the impact of the pilot scheme for the Children’s Choice Awards saying, ‘Our school took part in the IBC Children’s Choice Awards to give pupils a meaningful voice in celebrating inclusive books that reflect a wide range of cultures, identities and experiences. By voting, the children engaged more deeply with reading, developed empathy and learned to appreciate diverse perspectives. The experience empowered our children (including our reading ambassadors) to see that their voices matter. In taking part, I feel that it also strengthened our whole-school commitment to inclusion and representation in literature.’

Inclusive Books for Children is a UK literacy charity with a free website that aims to help families, teachers and librarians build more inclusive bookshelves.

It showcases stories that positively represent diverse families; disabilities, different ethnicities and identities, while challenging gender stereotypes or other harmful tropes.

The IBC Book Box scheme provides hundreds of free inclusive titles to schools every year. The charity also conducts evidence-based research into the representation of marginalised voices in UK children’s publishing.