The Klaus Flugge Prize enters second decade with Rob Biddulph joining 2025 winner Emma Farrarons on the judging panel together with industry experts Shelley Jackson of Cambridge School of Art and Vanessa Lewis, owner of The Book Nook bookshop Hove.

The 2026 judges are 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Emma Farrarons; award-winning and hugely popular illustrator Rob Biddulph; Shelley Jackson, course director for the internationally renowned MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University; and Vanessa Lewis, co-owner of independent children’s bookshop The Book Nook in Hove.

Launched in 2016 and generously funded by Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a supremely important figure in picture books, the Klaus Flugge Prize enters its second decade in 2026. In the years since it was founded, the Klaus Flugge Prize has gained recognition as one of the most significant children’s book awards. The support it gives new illustrators at the beginning of their careers is invaluable and the prize continues to raise awareness of the art of picture book illustration in general.

Winning the Klaus Flugge Prize brings affirmation and prestige and past winners include New York Times bestseller Flavia Z. Drago (2021), Mariajo Ilustrajo (2023), twice shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, and Kate Winter, who won with The Fossil Hunter in 2024.

Emma Farrarons says: “Recognition, such as that given by the Klaus Flugge Prize, is very important for new illustrators. It shines a spotlight on your work, gives a confidence boost, and can open doors to new opportunities. Illustrators often work alone and face impostor syndrome, so being acknowledged by peers and the industry feels especially meaningful.”

You can read more from those involved in 2025’s winning title My Hair is as Long as a River on our blog.  Emma shared her journey with illustrating My Hair is as Long as a River and Grace Cleave shared insight from the publishing side of the same title.

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A grand total of 125 books have been nominated for the 2026 Medals. 62 books are in contention for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and 65 books for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration.  This includes two titles that have received nominations in both Medal categories.

Among the nominees is Jeremy Strong, a beloved author and champion of school libraries, posthumously recognised for his final work Fox Goes North.

All the nominated books will be read by the 2026 judging panel who will narrow the list initially to a longlist and then a shortlist with the final winner announced in June.

Key Dates for Carnegie Awards 2026

Tuesday 10 February 2026: Longlists announced

Tuesday 10 March 2026: Shortlists announced (15:45 GMT)

Wednesday 11 March 2026: Shadowing begins

Tuesday 23 June 2026: Carnegie Medal Winners announced

Don’t Miss Shadowing!

Children and young people will once again take on the role of judges through the Carnegie Shadowing Scheme – a reading-for-pleasure initiative that brings the Carnegie books to life in schools and libraries across the UK and overseas. Shadowing groups read, review and creatively engage with the titles before voting for their favourites, with winners announced at the ceremony in June 2026.

You can pre-order shortlists for shadowing groups now for dispatch once the titles are announced, and see the whole nominee list below.