2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing

Beth O'Brien won the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing for Wolf Siren, her debut novel and a feminist retelling of the Red Riding Hood story. The medal was announced on June 23, 2026, at the Carnegies ceremony in London, and the same book also took the Shadowers' Choice Medal for Writing, which is decided by votes from young readers in shadowing groups. A panel of children's and youth librarians from CILIP's Youth Libraries Group chose an eight-book shortlist. The other seven titles were Ghostlines by Katya Balen, Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher, Popcorn by Rob Harrell, The Boy I Love by William Hussey, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness, Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds, and Birdie by J. P. Rose.