English

Carnegie Awards 2025 Shadowing Success

Fifteen of our students took part in the prestigious Carnegie Awards Shadowing Programme – an exciting initiative that allows young readers to engage with the judging process for the UK’s top children’s book award, the Carnegie Medal for Writing.

As part of the scheme, our shadowing group met weekly to read and discuss the shortlisted titles. Alongside this, they participated in a range of activities with teachers from across the school with each presenting to the group on their chosen book.

We were especially honoured this year to be the only school invited to appear in the official award ceremony show reel, where our students shared their thoughts on their favourite books and the significance of the programme. Adding to this achievement, one of our own, Reza Lalji, was selected to present the prestigious award on stage on 19th June at the Cambridge Theatre, a truly remarkable recognition. Reza presented the award to Nathaniel Lessore for his book: The King of Nothing.

We are incredibly proud of Reza and all our dedicated ‘shadowers’ for their enthusiasm, insight, and outstanding contribution to this year’s Carnegie awards.

In addition to presenting an award Reza was invited to write this article for First News Magazine.

I was really happy to be able to take part in the shadowing group at my school, so finding out that I was going to present it made me very excited. I love to read and it was a great opportunity to discover books that I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.

Presenting the award was an incredible opportunity to meet some amazing authors. I felt like being able to present the Shadowers’ Choice awards was especially cool because it was chosen by us, the readers. Despite being nervous because of the prestigious nature of the award, the rehearsal process allowed me to feel calmer. I was also ecstatic getting to know who was going to win before anyone else, especially because it was one of my top three writers.

Presenting the award was an incredible opportunity to meet some amazing authors. The whole day was a memorable experience and one that I will remember for a long time.

Reflecting on the ceremony, I was really impressed by the authors and their acceptance speeches. Nathanael Lessore won the Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing (for ‘King of Nothing’) and Theo Parish took home the Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration (for ‘Home Body’). They must have been nervous, but they still came across confidently in their speeches, which was very inspiring. The whole day was a memorable experience and one that I will remember for a long time.