Are previous winners eligible?

The Medal is awarded for the outstanding book of the year, and for that reason, books by previous Carnegie medal winners are eligible. The assessment is against all other titles published in the year, not against all other books written by that author.

Who is allowed to nominate titles for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards?

Any member of CILIP either personally, through their local authority or through their regional YLG/SLG/CILIP Branch

What age groups are covered by the awards?

The criteria are not prescriptive about a specific age group to take into account the reading age and maturity of individual readers. It is possible to recognise that a book is intended for children and young people in a number of ways i.e. through the publishers list they appear on, by the way they are marketed etc

What categories of books are eligible for the awards?

All categories, including fiction, poetry and information books. In the case of e-books and short stories previously published in a magazine or elsewhere, the point of publication should be considered as the date when the work was published as a whole.

Are American, Australian or books from other English speaking countries eligible for the Awards?

As long as they have been co-published in the UK within 3 months of their publication elsewhere.

What is unique about the Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal?

The Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal are unique in that they are awarded by librarians who work closely with books and children. The books that are nominated for the awards are nominated by library professionals and not by publishers, a democratic process which ensures that any title has an equal chance of being considered for the Awards. The judges are totally independent and make their choices purely on their own judgement of the titles' merits against the criteria. Throughout their history the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have provided a literary standard by which other books are measured and they are the Medals most authors and illustrators want to win.

Are young people's opinions taken into account when the winners are chosen?

It is important to recognise that the Medals are awarded by librarians to writers and artists that they wish to honour for the outstanding books they have created. Naturally the judges do consider children's and young people's responses to the books as a part of their assessment, but the criteria take into account a broad range of other factors, such as construction of the plot, the strength of the characterisation and the quality of the writer's style. Outstanding literary or artistic quality are the most important elements when choosing the winner of these awards; there are several other awards where popularity with children and young people is the main criterion, E.g.The Children's Book Award.

If the children's and young people's votes do not count towards the winning selections, what is the shadowing scheme all about?

The shadowing scheme is all about encouraging young people to read and enjoy the very best in children's publishing, through the shortlists selected by children's librarians. It is about debate and dialogue on children's literature - and a grand sense of occasion. We love to hear from everybody involved and feel that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions on who should win!

The responses from shadowing groups have been overwhelmingly positive and we aim to expand the shadowing scheme every year, bringing a wider experience to a greater number of children and young people.