Diverse Book Awards 2026 Announces Winners at London Ceremony

Asli Jensen’s debut Love on Sight (Chicken House) was awarded in the YA Fiction category. Lola Jaye won Adult Fiction for The Manual for Good Wives (Pan Macmillan), while Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason received the newly introduced Adult Non-fiction prize for To Be Young, Gifted and Black (OneWorld).

This event marks the seventh edition of the Diverse Book Awards, which were founded by author Abiola Bello and publicist Helen Lewis. The awards celebrate works by authors based in the UK and Ireland published in 2025, allowing both self-published and traditionally published titles to compete.

In the Picture Book category, sponsored by Puffin, the winner was Super Nani and Captain Yaz by Saira Shah and Maria Gabriela Gama. The Children’s Fiction prize, sponsored by Gemma Cooper Literary, went to My Name Is Samim by Fidan Meikle. In addition to the YA Fiction, Adult Fiction, and Adult Non-fiction categories, Children’s/YA Non-fiction was awarded to We Are Your Children by David Roberts.

The winners in the latter two categories were announced for the first time this year. Helen Lewis confirmed the addition of these non-fiction categories when the longlist was published in July, emphasizing their importance.

Jaye’s win in Adult Fiction was achieved amid strong competition, including nominations for Tasha Suri’s The Isle in the Silver Sea (Orbit) and Kia Abdullah’s What Happens in the Dark. Jaye follows Onyi Nwabineli, who won the category in 2025 with Allow Me to Introduce Myself.

The awards also feature a Readers’ Choice category, added in 2023, which received over 4,000 votes this year. Readers awarded the Picture Book prize to The Bicycle by Patricia McCormick, Mevan Babakar, and Yas Imamura (Farshore), while Margaret Rooke’s Different Like Us! (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) won Children’s/YA Non-fiction.

In the YA category, public voters selected Heartbreaker by Anika Hussain (Hot Key Books) over Jensen’s winning title. Love on Sight is described by Books for Topics as a contemporary YA romance set in inner-city London.

This disparity between the judges' and readers' choices highlights a vibrant interest in diverse voices in literature. The varied preferences showcase a dynamic reading audience, emphasizing that the Readers’ Choice is a significant barometer of popular interest.

Catherine Johnson’s Impact Award, sponsored by Renaissance, emphasizes her focus on untold historical narratives. Her works include Race to the Frozen North, which recounts the story of Matthew Henson, and Journey Back to Freedom, focusing on Olaudah Equiano, published by Barrington Stoke.

This year’s awards not only recognized Johnson’s contributions but also established a dedicated platform for non-fiction with the wins for To Be Young, Gifted and Black and We Are Your Children. These achievements reflect ongoing efforts to spotlight underrepresented voices in literature, similar to initiatives in other art forms like the Dorian Film Awards for queer cinema.

While these awards are specifically aimed at UK and Ireland publications from 2025, readers worldwide, including those in the U.S., are encouraged to explore these titles. The contrasting preferences in the YA categories alone present an opportunity for an engaging reading experience.

For those interested in Johnson's work, Race to the Frozen North provides a compelling narrative of an overlooked historical figure, underscoring the importance of diverse storytelling. The journey of these award-winning titles will be closely monitored, especially as some may transition to film adaptations.