IBC Children's Choice Awards 2026
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This autumn, Inclusive Books for Children launch the Children’s Choice Awards, an exciting shadowing scheme for their IBC Awards, where children act as 'official' judges, reading the shortlisted books and voting on their favourites. |
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The Children's Choice Awards shadowing scheme is designed to excite children about reading, motivating them to engage with a broader range of books. The scheme follows the recent release of The National Literacy Trust’s annual reading survey, which suggests children and young people’s reading for pleasure is at its lowest level in two decades, with only ‘1 in 3 (32.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18’ saying they ‘enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025’, a 36% drop since 2005. |
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How do the IBC Children's Choice Awards work?
The scheme aims to engage children in fun reading activities that mirror the IBC Awards judging process. Children will have 5 weeks to read and judge the books.
How can my school participate?
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- Register your school for the IBC Children's Choice Awards by clicking the link below to fill out a short form.
- Purchase your books in handy sets with 20% off RRP – click the links for each pack below to add them to your basket. Books will be delivered on or shortly after Monday 12 January 2026.
- Read the books with your children. You have 5 weeks to read up to a maximum of 5 books, from 12 January to 16 February 2026.
- Vote for your winner!
What will I get in my shortlist book packs?
Each pack contains one copy of each shortlisted title. Inside each shortlist pack, you'll also receive extra resources and freebies to help you run the shadowing scheme with your pupils, including bookmarks, stickers, and a certificate template, as well as Book Talk Cards created by Peters' qualified children's book specialists, packed with useful discussion prompts.
You can also download and print the Book Talk Cards for all shortlisted titles below.
