originally posted May 1, 2007
May 2021: reformatted; links updated; text revised as noted
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) recently announced the short lists of contenders for both its prestigious literary awards: the Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal. The final selections will be announced in a ceremony at the British Library in London on June 21, 2007.
The Carnegie Medal, which is celebrating its seventieth anniversary this year, is awarded to recognize the UK’s best writing for children and young adult readers. While the award provides no cash prize, the Carnegie Award is the most sought-after honor for authors published in the UK. Titles are nominated at large by professional librarians throughout the UK; the finalist is then determined by a panel of librarians from both public and school libraries. This year’s short list consists of six titles:
- The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
- A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
- The Road of Bones by Anne Fine
- Beast by Ally Kennen
- Just in Case by Meg Rosoff
- My Swordhand Is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick
The Kate Greenaway Medal is also celebrating a milestone this year: its fiftieth anniversary. The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded for “outstanding illustration in a children’s book.” Winners also receive a cash prize presented as the Colin Mears Award. This year’s short list also contains six titles:
- The Elephantom by Ross Collins
- Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
- The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey
- Scoop! An Exclusive by Monty Molenski by John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell
- Augustus and His Smile by Catherine Rayner
- The Emperor of Absurdia by Chris Riddell
In honor of the two anniversaries this year, two special contests are being held: one to choose the “Carnegie of Carnegies” and another to select the “Greenaway of Greenaways.” In each case, ten titles have been chosen from among all previous winners—the so-called best UK books of modern times! The public is encouraged to reread their favorites and vote from those lists by noon on June 14. Results will be announced at the main ceremonies.
UPDATE: Celebrations in 2007 were indeed capped by awarding the Carnegie of Carnegies and the Greenaway of Greenaways to, respectively, Philip Pullman, for Northern Lights (which won its original Carnegie in 1995; the work was later republished as The Golden Compass and scripted into a movie of that name, as well as a video game and, eventually, a limited-run television series known as His Dark Materials), and Shirley Hughes, for Dogger (which won its Greenaway in 1977). Lists of all winners and teaching resources for all shortlisted nominees, since 2010, of both medals can be found in the CILIP archives; links to synopses, CIP data, and cover thumbnails can be found on the UCF (University of Central Florida) Libraries web pages for Carnegie winners and Greenaway winners.
image information: Featured image, via Waterstones Booksellers Ltd., London; Waterstones is the sponsor of their own Waterstones Children’s Laureate, a unique post awarded biennially to an oustanding author or illustrator of children’s books—the current laureate is Cressida Cowell, author of the How to Train Your Dragon series and The Wizards of Once books.