Winners of the HarperCollins Reading for Pleasure Awards 2026 Announced
The winners of The Reading for Pleasure Awards 2026 have been announced. Launched in 2017 and run by HarperCollins Children’s Books in association with The Open University and the UK Literacy Association (UKLA), the awards recognise and celebrate ‘teachers, schools, librarians and community organisations who place reading for pleasure at the heart of their practice in creative and impactful ways to inspire children and young people to read.’
This year Mel Taylor-Bessent, author of Race to Imagination Island and founder of Authorfy, joined the judging panel as guest judge. Also on the judging panel were Teresa Cremin (Professor of Education, The Open University), David Reedy (UKLA), Joy Court (Co-founder: All Around Reading), Martin Galway (Head of Professional Learning and Partnerships, National Literacy Trust), Lee Newman (Education Publisher at Collins), Cally Poplak (Managing Director, Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books) and Alison David (Consumer Insight Director, Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books).
The winners were awarded across five categories this year, with each category winner receiving £250 worth of HarperCollins books and 20 copies of Help Your Child Love Reading by Alison David.
The winners are:
Experienced Teacher
WINNER: Sarah Srichan from James Peacock Infant and Nursery School in Nottingham
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Jessica Letts from Walton High in Milton Keynes
School Reading Champion
WINNER: Polly-Anne Gibbs from Fleetville Junior School in St Albans
Whole School
WINNER: Miriam Lord Primary School in Bradford, submitted by Rachel Saunders
JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Town Farm Primary School in Stanwell, submitted by Louise Ravenor
and
Slaithwaite C of E Junior and Infant School in Huddersfield, submitted by Caroline Fowler
Community Reading
JOINT WINNER:
Chapter One Charity, submitted by Stephanie Lockwood
AND
Doorstep Library, submitted by Sandy Ryan
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Heidi Bithell from Wrexham Libraries
Author’s Choice
WINNER: Gary Hammonds from Mercia Northridge School in Sheffield
The judges were once again impressed with the breadth and quality of submissions, which showed how reading for pleasure can be encouraged through long-term strategy, community partnerships, strong research underpinnings, and meaningful opportunities for children to exercise agency and choice in their reading.
Across the winning entries, there was clear evidence of sustained, thoughtful work to build cultures of reading: from transforming libraries and creating welcoming spaces, to reframing reading at home as shared time, extending reading opportunities in secondary settings, and developing whole-school approaches that engage pupils, staff and families alike. Judges particularly praised entries that demonstrated measurable impact alongside a clear vision for long-term cultural change.
On Gary Hammonds, winner of the Author’s Choice Award, Mel Taylor-Bessent said: ‘Gary’s goal to ‘disrupt disadvantage and empower all’ felt incredibly powerful, and I especially liked that his approach had focused ways to engage those with SEND, learners with EAL and those receiving Pupil Premium. It’s no small task to support pupils with such varying needs, backgrounds and neurotypes, and he is doing this with enthusiasm, positivity and creativity, which to me, really made his submission shine. It was great to see the evidence on his addition of social reading spaces and focus on regular dedicated time in the lending library too, and the increase he saw in book loans in one academic year was fantastic!’
Of the awards themselves, Teresa Cremin, CBE, Professor of Education at The Open University, said, ‘In this National Year of Reading, it’s fabulous to be celebrating the influence and impact of these awards on our young people. Over the last 9 years, the breadth of entries from individuals, schools and charities has been impressive, enabling the awards to shine a spotlight on effective research-informed provision and practice that ensures children develop the habit of reading, and offers a model for others.’
The winners were announced at The Open University Reading for Pleasure Conference on Saturday 17 October in Milton Keynes.
