The Carnegie Award – Who’s Got Your Vote?

It’s that time of year again. No, not Easter, well, yes OK, it is nearly Easter, but what we’re excited about here at World of Books is that the longlist for The Carnegie Medal has been drawn (the winner will be selected in the Summer).

The Carnegie award is the annual medal presented to a writer who has written the most ‘outstanding book for children’ of the year. Established in 1936, in memory of the Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), the award is offered by the CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (try saying that several times over…) In his pursuit of reading being obtainable for everyone (rich or poor), Andrew Carnegie set up more than 2800 libraries across the globe throughout his lifetime. The modern-day winner of the award is presented with a gold medal and £500 worth of books they are able to donate to any library of their choice.

The first ever award was given to Arthur Ransome for his novel ‘Pigeon Post’. This year’s longlist includes Anne Fine (who could be the first author to win the medal three times), Melvin Burgess, Frank Cottrell Boyce, David Almond, Philip Reeve, Theresa Breslin, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Robert Swindells and Aidan Chambers. This year there is also an unusual double nomination for Sally Gardner for two of her novels for children.

Check out the Carnegie Medal webpage for the full longlist here. Who will you vote for?

World of Books is in full support of literature being made readily available to people from all walks of life. A love and passion for literature shouldn’t have to be expensive. Sadly libraries are getting fewer and fewer due to constraints on public spending and an increase in tablet use in this modern age. Which is why we’re glad awards such as the Carnegie one are still being offered to authors who have worked hard to provide engaging literature for children and young people.

And if you’re struggling to find what you’re looking for in your local library, why not visit the World of Books store where over 2 million books are readily available at low prices?