The Bookseller Reports on Scholastic’s Success at The 2026 British Book Awards

As featured in The Bookseller, Scholastic was named a big winner at The British Book Awards 2026.

Scholastic earned four major honors, including:

• Children’s Publisher of the Year — recognizing Scholastic’s overall excellence in children’s publishing
• Illustrator of the Year — awarded to Dav Pilkey, the bestselling author‑illustrator behind Dog Man and Captain Underpants
• Marketing Strategy of the Year — presented to Rachel Partridge, Ellen Thomson, and Hannah Griffiths for their campaign supporting Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping
• Children’s Fiction Book of the Year — also awarded to Sunrise on the Reaping

In their coverage, The Bookseller highlighted that in 2025, when many children’s publishers were treading water, Scholastic saw sales rocket 30% in the Total Consumer Market — largely due in part to the success of Sunrise on the Reaping.

“Such growth in a tricky market is an extraordinary feat,” said the judges.

The judges also applauded Scholastic’s efforts in improving representation — with half of its new books including characters of color, double the industry average — and championing reading for pleasure.

The winners were revealed at a ceremony in London on May 11, hosted by television and radio presenter Steph McGovern, and attended by Dav Pilkey, Ruth Jones, Joe Wicks, Peter James and Yulia Navalnaya.

To read the full recap of The British Book Awards, click here: The British Book Awards 2026 trade winners include Scholastic, Waterstones and Little, Brown