These awards aim to recognize children’s books which teachers and librarians have found best-suited to serve children's reading interests! They are awarded annually to the most popular children’s books in the library/classroom setting. This year, these awards will be given for books in Hindi and Kannada (NEW!) across two age brackets (ages 3-8 and ages 8-12). Publishers can now send us nominations for the Teacher-Librarian’s Choice Award! Entries will be accepted till April 30, 2026.Teacher-Librarian’s Choice Awards
Children's Literature Awards 2026
Now in their fourth year, the Room to Read Children’s Literature Awards continue to celebrate quality literary efforts in the field of children’s literature. The awards have primarily been envisioned to fill the gap in recognition for creators and publishers striving to contribute to children’s literature in Indian languages. It is our hope to continue to bring more credibility and significance to the discourse around the genre in India.
The Room to Read Children’s Literature Awards have two primary categories — the Children’s Book Creators’ Awards, decided upon by a jury, and the Teacher-Librarian’s Choice Awards, which are based on votes from teachers and librarians serving in government schools.
In 2024 and 2025, we expanded the Teacher-Librarian’s Choice Award category to the Telugu and Marathi languages respectively. We are happy to announce that in 2026, this award will recognize children’s books published in Kannada, along with Hindi.
Watch Poornima Garg, Country Director - Room to Read India, as she launches the fourth edition of the Children’s Literature Awards 2026!
These awards champion the voices that bring diverse and engaging stories to children across India in a language and context that they understand.
Why did we establish the
Room to Read Children’s Literature Awards?
Children’s literature as an independent genre first took root in the West, making its mark in India’s vibrant literary scene only recently. Despite the growing interest, children’s literature remains underrepresented in a country with such vast linguistic diversity. However, we are seeing a surge of genuine efforts across India to create authentic, contextually rich literature that captivates young minds. These contributions are crucial in distinguishing children's literature from adult works and in nurturing imaginative, independent readers through libraries, learning centres, and personal collections.
In this emerging field, writers, illustrators, and publishers are embracing the challenge of weaving tradition with contemporary themes, reflecting India’s rich diversity through engaging stories and visuals. The Room to Read Children’s Literature Awards recognize and celebrate those who bring to life children’s experiences and inspire love for reading.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, absolutely! If your book is published in an Indian language and qualifies the criteria prescribed for the concerned category of the award.
- For the Room to Read Children’s Book Creators’ Award: Only books originally written and published in the Hindi language are invited for nomination.
- For the Room to Read Teacher-Librarian’s Choice Award: In 2026, nominations can be made for Hindi- or Kannada-language books either originally published in the respective language or translated/adapted from an original Indian language/English book. However, the original and translation should both be published in India.
Yes, if the book in question has been originally written in Hindi and published with a registered Indian publisher.
You can write to us at [email protected].
