Ascent Children's Book Prize
2026
Announcing
our
TOP 100
From hundreds of international entries, we are pleased to announce our top 100 entries for 2026. A huge congratulations to the following writers. Our longlist will be announced mid September.
Mothertrucker
(YA Dystopian)
By
Imogen Slater
Russell Trout: Alien Invader
(Middle-grade Comedy)
By
Natalie Rutherford
Whatever Happened to the Big Bad Wolf
(Picture Book)
By
Catherine Harmson
The Fox Knows Many Things
(Middle-grade animal fantasy)
By
Marese Fitzgerald
The Stallion's Song
(YA post-apocalyptic)
By
Pamela Keeley
Deepwood City
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Simone Schuemmelfede
Maynard Mouse
(Picture Book)
By
Leslee Anne Hewson
Sensible Rhymes for Sensible Children
(Picture Book)
By
Helen Hooper
Ember
(YA Urban Fantasy)
By
Kirstin Lewis
The Afterlife of Juniper Quick
(Middle-grade ghost story)
By
Sam Oaten
Penny Prism Can't Catch A Rainbow
(Picture Book)
By
Michael Kokozos
Unmasked
(YA Psychological thriller with Romance)
By
Lesley Coyle
Sofia's Not-Book
(Middle-grade illustrated diary)
By
Alexandra Berlina
Heather Hextraordinary
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Alana Warbrick
Sascha Sturmbranger and the Witches of Wind Lash Bay
(Middle grade fantasy adventure)
By
Alexandra Webber-Smith
The End!
(Picture Book)
By
Paul Nash
Spy Wizards: Operation Secret Dragon
(Middle-grade adventure)
By
Caroline Mundy
Lark and the Thieves of Winter Hollow
(Middle-grade adventure)
By
Lisa Donyamalinia
Wild Ways to Say "I Love You!";
(Picture Book)
By
J Akhvlediani
Holiday Arthur & The Serpentine Treasure
(Middle-grade mystery adventure)
By
Cara McVean
The Weaver and the Wildcat
(Middle-grade historical fantasy)
By
Sarah Currie Dyer
Willow's Wobbly First Week of School
(Picture Book)
By
Catherine Londaro
Mina and the Secret Root Language
(Middle-grade magical realism)
By
Mariam Tareen
Everything Glimmers
(Picture Book)
By
Bridget Kelly
The Pudding Troll
(Picture Book)
By
Bridget Kelly
The Groucher
(Middle-grade contemporary grounded-fantasy)
By
Claire Lewis
Beyond Sea and Song
(YA fantasy)
By
Chelsea Christman
A Different Hue
(Picture Book)
By
Frances O’Sullivan
HullabaLOUIE!
(Picture Book)
By
Frances O’Sullivan
Invisible Me
(Middle-grade speculative)
By
Clare Bunting
Maya and the Arcane Academy
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Natalie Clark
The Unloved
(YA horror/thriller)
By
Abigail Kikuchi
Uncle Ulric's Home for Unusual Animals
(Chapter Book, animals and humour)
By
Jason Lang
Unholy Creatures
(YA Supernatural Romance)
By
Alana Warbrick
Mojo Shah and the Spirit League
(Middle-grade supernatural urban-fantasy)
By
Gary Haq
Why Isn't My Brother A Unicorn?
(Picture Book)
By
Lydia Fraser-Ward
Luna Fitch Accidental Witch: The Slime Disaster
(Chapter Book: Fantasy)
By
Emily Hanson
Millie and the Library of Promises
(Upper middle-grade fantasy)
By
Zelda Bisschoff
Dangerously Different
(YA fantasy)
By
Hannah Faoileán
Soccerella
(Picture Book)
By
Stacey Scott
Where is Navruz
(Picture Book)
By
Surayyo Turakulova
Zombie Mouse
(Picture Book)
By
Emma Hulin
All The Words For Stupid
(YA contemporary)
By
Amelia Etherton
Story Guardians: Vanishing Villains
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Donna Hanna
Polka Dotty
(Picture Book)
By
Alison Hill
The Unfortunate Pirates of TripsALot Bay
(Picture Book)
By
Emily Gimenez
The Echo Tree
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Gemma Llewellyn
Rebel Pebble
(Picture Book)
By
Jenny Catton
Too Many Cats
(Picture Book)
By
Jenny Catton
Puzzle Girl
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Wei Lin Chen
The Bubble Frogs
(Middle-grade comedy/adventure)
By
James Heaton
Oh no! It's the Early Bird
(Picture Book)
By
Helen Hooper
Not His Blood
(YA literary fiction)
By
Stella Olujimi
The Watcher
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Isabel Engleheart
Five for Silver
(YA fantasy)
Samantha Webb
The Things They Don't Tell You
(YA duel timeline)
Alka Handa
The Forgotten Warlocks
(YA fantasy)
By
Lorna Pull
PACT
(YA Contemporary)
By
Mandy Wilson-Garner
Of Cabbages and Dragons
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Anastasia Chernyavtseva
Maya's Great Shoe Hunt - A South Asian Wedding Mystery
(Picture Book)
By
Sheena Garg
The Musician's Feast
(Middle-grade fantasy adventure)
By
Treena Jingree
Greta the Fairy - In Search of Wildwood
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Rachel Atherton
Battle Scars
(Picture Book)
By
Nikita Star
Florence and the Quest for Clover
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Kamie Maddocks
Bertie Buffin and the Smugglers' Grotto
(Middle-grade humorous adventure)
By
Tracey Ellis-Baker
Too Many Teeth
(Picture Book)
By
Sarah Lang-Rybicka
The Curse of the Twelfth Birthday Portraits
(Middle-grade gothic magical realism)
By
Tamara Wolcough
The Court of Moths
(YA fantasy)
By
Hazel Compton
Spiffing Tiffin
(Picture Book)
By
Roshan Hunt
Past the Curfew
(YA action/romance)
By
Jemma Sykes
Boisterous Bob
(Middle-grade humour/mystery)
By
Robert Waft
Night Bus Riders
(Upper middle-grade: contemporary)
By
Ellie Pulze
The Last Friday Club
(Middle-grade horror)
By
Monica Gutierrez
The Undead Detective Society
(Middle-grade mystery)
By
Monica Gutierrez
My darling, Earth
(Picture Book)
By
Yasmin Menzies
Never Share your Breakfast with a Dragon
(Picture Book)
By
Nicky Walters
A Dollop of Magic
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Mayowa Pamela Odunaiya
Emi Lee and the Dagger of Death
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Catherine Hsu
A House Called Freak
(Middle-grade Sci-fi)
By
Barbara Godwin
The Snow has No Voice
(YA: historical fantasy)
By
Eleanor Britten
A Little Light
(Picture Book)
By
Daianne Karaian
The Clockwork Hangman
(YA gothic historical)
By
Joanna Winchcombe
A Ghost's Guide to Sticking Around
(Middle-grade fantasy)
By
Maryna Smahina
I Want to be a Bogey
(Picture Book)
By
Thomas Robinson
That’s Not What I See
(Picture Book)
By
Thomas Robinson
Row Harder to Move Forward
(Middle-grade fantasy adventure)
By
Pablo Andres Berra
Extraneous
(YA dystopian)
By
Cerys Nolte
Jack the Pigeon
(Picture Book)
By
Philip Green
Even When Her Sunshine Is Lost
(Picture Book)
By
Kerry Plume
Maya and the Turtle Hatchlings
(Picture Book)
By
Dawn Rosales
The Poisonsmith’s Daughter
(Middle-grade gothic fantasy)
By
Pete Hepworth
Edith Wilderspin - Witches' Finder (Extraordinaire)
(Middle-grade humour)
By
Gary Thomas
The Best Pirate in the World
(Picture Book)
By
Tara Potter
Two Kinds of Wrong
(YA contemporary coming of age)
By
Christopher Gould
Rolling at the Zoo
(Picture Book)
By
Brian Ries
Alfie Pea Evacuee
(Middle-grade historical fiction)
By
Tracey Foley
The Great Toilet Roll Robbery
(Middle-grade comic mystery)
By
Mark Kirkbride
MC Spike and the Party Crew (Picture Book)
By
Helen Hooper
When the Dawn Rises
(YA fantasy)
By
Katherine Camm
The Ravenspur Mystery
(Middle-grade mystery)
By
Judy Broad