The Carnegie Medal for Writing, established in 1936, is a British literary award that annually recognises one outstanding new English-language book for children or young adults. It is conferred upon the author by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), who calls it "the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for children's writing". CILIP is currently partnered with the audio technology company Yoto in connection with the award.
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and reading in the United Kingdom, and sponsored by Nestlé, the manufacturer of Smarties candy. It was one of the most respected and prestigious prizes for children's literature.
Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her children's literature. Some of her novels for adults have been reissued for the young adult market. The historical novel Journey to the River Sea won her the Smarties Prize in category 9–11 years, garnered an unusual commendation as runner-up for the Guardian Prize, and made the Carnegie, Whitbread, and Blue Peter shortlists. She was a finalist for the 2010 Guardian Prize at the time of her death. Her last book, The Abominables, was among four finalists for the same award in 2012.
Ann Turnbull is a British writer of fiction for children and young adults. Her work includes Pigeon Summer, a novel set in a Midlands mining town during the Great Depression of the 1930s which is about a young girl named Mary Dyer, and No Shame, No Fear, a novel for young adults that depicts the persecution of Quakers during the 1660s, and is set in both Shropshire and London and was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Pigeon Summer was nominated for the Nestle Smarties Book Prize and No Shame, No Fear was nominated for the Whitbread Book Award. She has written a number of picture books but the best known is The Sand Horse which is illustrated by Michael Foreman.
David Almond is a British author who has written many novels for children and young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim.
Paul Stewart is a writer of children's books, best known for three series written in collaboration with the illustrator Chris Riddell: The Edge Chronicles, the Free Lance novels, and the Far Flung Adventures series.
Chris Riddell is a South African-born English illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for the Observer. He has won three Kate Greenaway Medals - the British librarians' annual award for the best-illustrated children's book, and two of his works were commended runners-up, a distinction dropped after 2002.
John Agard FRSL is a Guyanese playwright, poet and children's writer, now living in Britain. In 2012, he was selected for the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was awarded BookTrust's Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2021.
Nick Butterworth is a British author and illustrator of children's books. His picture book The Whisperer won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2005.
Lauren Margot Peachy Child is an English children's author and illustrator. She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture book series and other book series. Her influences include E. H. Shepard, Quentin Blake, Carl Larsson, and Ludwig Bemelmans.
Sally Gardner is a British children's literature writer and illustrator. She won both the Costa Book Award for Children's Book and the Carnegie Medal for Maggot Moon. Under her pseudonym Wray Delaney she has also written adult novels.
Martin Waddell is a writer of children's books from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He may be known best for his picture book texts featuring anthropomorphic animals, especially the Little Bear series illustrated by Barbara Firth.
Oliver Brendan Jeffers is an Australian-born Northern Irish artist, illustrator and writer. He went to the integrated secondary school Hazelwood College, then graduated from the University of Ulster in 2001. He relocated back to Northern Ireland in the early 2020s after a spell living and working in Brooklyn.
S. F. Said is a British children's writer.
Helen Gillian Oxenbury is an English illustrator and writer of children's picture books. She lives in North London. She has twice won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal, the British librarians' award for illustration and been runner-up four times. For the 50th anniversary of that Medal (1955–2005) her 1999 illustrated edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was named one of the top ten winning works.
Sue Heap is a British children's book illustrator. She has illustrated over thirty books, some of which she also wrote – including Cowboy Baby, winner of the Smarties Prize Gold Award in 1998. She is also noted for her creative collaborations; with Nick Sharratt, Sally Lloyd-Jones and, most recently, Teresa Heapy. Several of her picture books have been nominated for the Greenaway Medal, and her collaboration with Sally Lloyd-Jones for Schwartz & Wade Books, 'How To Be A Baby... By Me, the Big Sister' was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book in 2007.
Julia Eccleshare MBE is a British journalist and writer on the subject of children's books. She has been Children's Books editor for The Guardian newspaper for more than ten years, at least from 2000. She is also an editorial contributor and advisor for the website Love Reading 4 Kids. She is a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award.
Vivian June Isoult French is a British writer of picture book texts, novels, plays, and non-fiction for children and young adults. She has written more than 250 books – including the picture book Oliver's Vegetables (1995), The Tiara Club series of chapter books illustrated by Sarah Gibb (2005) and The Most Wonderful Thing in the World (2015) illustrated by Angela Barrett.
Caroline Binch is an English illustrator and writer of children's books.
Ursula Jones is a British actor and author of children's fiction. Her picture book The Witch's Children and the Queen won a gold Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, and the sequel The Witch's Children Go to School won the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize.
