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Awards

The Highlights Margaret McDonald, just 27, strikes gold as the youngest-ever winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing with Glasgow Boys, a raw and touching tale of friendship between two lads growing up in care theguardian.com thebookseller.com . The Shadowers’ Choice (judged by young lit-lovers) went to Nathanael Lessore for King of Nothing, a teen comedy that dives into masculinity and grief theguardian.com publishingperspectives.com carnegies.co.uk . In the illustration stakes, Olivia Lomenech Gill scooped the Carnegie Medal for Clever Crow, while Theo Parish took the Shadowers’ Choice with Homebody theguardian.com thebookseller.com . 📊 Award Wins & Prize Split Category Winner Age Prize £ Prize Use Writing (Medal) Margaret McDonald (Glasgow Boys) 27 £5,000 Donated to Action for Children; youngest ever winner theguardian.com thebookseller.com Writing (Shadowers’) Nathanael Lessore (King of Nothing) – £500 Donated to school libraries theguardian.com carnegies.co.uk publishingperspectives.com Illustration (Medal) Olivia Lomenech Gill (Clever Crow) – £5,000 Funding Palestinian education & libraries theguardian.com thebookseller.com Illustration (Shadowers’) Theo Parish (Homebody) – £500 Donated to youth reading projects theguardian.com thebookseller.com Notable Bits, With a Grin Glasgow Boys was co-created with a children’s therapist to ensure it hit the mark in depicting life in care theguardian.com thebookseller.com . King of Nothing earlier bagged top honours in the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Jhalak YA Award, so it's got brains and brawn theguardian.com carnegies.co.uk publishingperspectives.com . Clever Crow flips the bird on creepy crow stereotypes, earning praise for giving feathered friends a fair shake theguardian.com . Homebody nudged readers gently into conversations on non-binary and trans lives—think Heartstopper-adjacent vibes theguardian.com . 📝 Why It Matters The Carnegie Medals, founded in 1936 (writing) and 1955 (illustration), remain the gold standard for UK children’s lit theguardian.com . Previous winners include literary big names like CS Lewis, Philip Pullman, and Ruta Sepetys—and illustrators such as Quentin Blake theguardian.com . Glasgow Boys resonates because it’s authentic, emotive, and Scots-lingo-rich—sparking empathy for boys who've known little nurturing theguardian.com thebookseller.com . And it’s heartening to see major charitable causes win too—Action for Children, education in Palestine, library funding—feel-good all round! Bottom Line: Margaret McDonald’s milestone as the youngest recipient is a cracking sign that bold, diverse voices are bubbling to the top of children’s literature. With King of Nothing, Clever Crow, and Homebody also shining, it’s clear that heartfelt, inclusive storytelling is the big winner here. The Highlights Margaret McDonald, just 27, strikes gold as the youngest-ever winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing with Glasgow Boys, a raw and touching tale of friendship between two lads growing up in care theguardian.com thebookseller.com . The Shadowers’ Choice (judged by young lit-lovers) went to Nathanael Lessore for King of Nothing, a teen comedy that dives into masculinity and grief theguardian.com publishingperspectives.com carnegies.co.uk . In the illustration stakes, Olivia Lomenech Gill scooped the Carnegie Medal for Clever Crow, while Theo Parish took the Shadowers’ Choice with Homebody theguardian.com thebookseller.com . 📊 Award Wins & Prize Split Category Winner Age Prize £ Prize Use Writing (Medal) Margaret McDonald (Glasgow Boys) 27 £5,000 Donated to Action for Children; youngest ever winner theguardian.com thebookseller.com Writing (Shadowers’) Nathanael Lessore (King of Nothing) – £500 Donated to school libraries theguardian.com carnegies.co.uk publishingperspectives.com Illustration (Medal) Olivia Lomenech Gill (Clever Crow) – £5,000 Funding Palestinian education & libraries theguardian.com thebookseller.com Illustration (Shadowers’) Theo Parish (Homebody) – £500 Donated to youth reading projects theguardian.com thebookseller.com Notable Bits, With a Grin Glasgow Boys was co-created with a children’s therapist to ensure it hit the mark in depicting life in care theguardian.com thebookseller.com . King of Nothing earlier bagged top honours in the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Jhalak YA Award, so it's got brains and brawn theguardian.com carnegies.co.uk publishingperspectives.com . Clever Crow flips the bird on creepy crow stereotypes, earning praise for giving feathered friends a fair shake theguardian.com . Homebody nudged readers gently into conversations on non-binary and trans lives—think Heartstopper-adjacent vibes theguardian.com . 📝 Why It Matters The Carnegie Medals, founded in 1936 (writing) and 1955 (illustration), remain the gold standard for UK children’s lit theguardian.com . Previous winners include literary big names like CS Lewis, Philip Pullman, and Ruta Sepetys—and illustrators such as Quentin Blake theguardian.com . Glasgow Boys resonates because it’s authentic, emotive, and Scots-lingo-rich—sparking empathy for boys who've known little nurturing theguardian.com thebookseller.com . And it’s heartening to see major charitable causes win too—Action for Children, education in Palestine, library funding—feel-good all round! Bottom Line: Margaret McDonald’s milestone as the youngest recipient is a cracking sign that bold, diverse voices are bubbling to the top of children’s literature. With King of Nothing, Clever Crow, and Homebody also shining, it’s clear that heartfelt, inclusive storytelling is the big winner here.

Awards, Books & Magazine

Youngest-Ever Carnegie Medal Winner Shines with ‘Glasgow Boys’

Julien Moreau / June 20, 2025

‘An immersive and visceral read’ … Glasgow Boys author Margaret McDonald. Photograph: Heather Callaghan

From Tarmac to Triumph: Qantas Climbs to 14th in Global Airline Rankings as Qatar Soars to No.1 (Again)

Julien Moreau / June 20, 2025

Qantas Airways goes up in world airline rankings at ‘Oscars of the aviation’ awards Credit: AAP

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