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Library of the Year

The 2026 Library of the Year award received a record number of submissions – proof that despite the huge pressure on services, libraries continue to do superb work in promoting reading, widening access to books and connecting communities. These eight nominees are all winners in the regional and country rounds of the award, from a crop of 42 finalists. The government recently announced that each of the five English regional winners will get an extra prize of £1,000.

East & South-East England
Island of Ireland
London
Midlands
North England
Scotland
South-West England
Wales

Winner

City of Edinburgh Council Oxgangs Library, Saughton Library (HMP Edinburgh) & Mobile Library Services

Scotland

The 2026 Library of the Year award is given for a project in a little-seen but very important part of the library sector: prisons.

In the last quarter of 2025, Edinburgh’s Oxgangs and Mobile Library teamed up with Saughton Library at HMP Edinburgh to run a Secret Santa-style programme that brought gift-wrapped books to individuals in custody. At a particularly lonely time of year for many, it was a simple but effective act of kindness that aimed to inspire similar empathy and compassion in the recipients.

Nearly 150 people signed up to receive books, which were chosen by staff based on the prisoners’ genre preferences and delivered by the “Library Elf”, along with cards and handmade bookmarks. For Saughton, it fed into efforts to raise literacy levels and prison library footfall, while for Edinburgh’s library service it was a natural extension of its outreach activity, supporting community health and delivering books to the household. Despite a tiny budget, participation far exceeded expectations: feedback has been excellent and the project will return this Christmas.

“Prison libraries’ activity isn’t necessarily seen but it’s hugely impactful,” said the judges. “This was a really innovative programme to combat loneliness and exclusion and promote wellbeing through books.”

The eight libraries and services on this shortlist were the regional and country winners of this award. Each of the five English regional winners receives an additional prize of £1,000 from the government to support the National Year of Reading. This award is run with the kind help of The Reading Agency.

Regional & Country Winners

Cornwall Libraries

Community Cohesion and Library Alchemy

South-West England

Cornwall Libraries, the South-West England winner, shows how libraries can help some of the most vulnerable people in society. Branches there have welcomed Afghan families who arrived as part of the national resettlement scheme, sharing multilingual and digital resources. In doing so, they have also corrected some local misconceptions about the new arrivals. “Your kindness, smiles and support made every single day brighter,” read a letter from one of them.

Hull Libraries

One Hull of a Read

North England

Hull Libraries is the North England winner for the brilliantly titled One Hull of a Read, a pilot project that gave 4,000 children in Year 6 a copy of the same book to read. It was a great way to engage those who were about to go to secondary school and might otherwise have slipped out of reading. Helen Rutter’s The Boy with Big Decisions was the chosen book, and the project was well supported by schools, the author and the publisher, as well as libraries.

Neath Port Talbot Library Service

Neath Port Talbot's Children's Book Festival

Wales

Neath Port Talbot Library Service is the Wales winner for its Children’s BookFest. It pulled together 23 workshops and performances with authors, poets, storytellers and illustrators, taking them to schools and theatres as well as libraries. In a part of the country that does not often see events like this, it was an inspiring celebration of reading and creativity, and brought many families into libraries for the first time.

City of Edinburgh Council Library Service – Oxgangs Library, Saughton Prison Library and Mobile Library

City of Edinburgh Libraries' Secret Santa

Scotland

City of Edinburgh Libraries is the Scotland winner for a project that showed the value of promoting reading in prisons. The Oxgangs and Mobile Libraries team partnered with HMP Edinburgh’s Saughton Library to run a Secret Santa programme, providing gift-wrapped books for prisoners, delivered by the “Library Elf”. It was a simple but powerful act of empathy at a lonely time of year for many, and has increased prison library participation.

Southwark Libraries

'To Be at Southwark Libraries' Campaign

London

Southwark Libraries is the London regional winner for its To Be at Southwark Libraries campaign, which aimed to attract new and lapsed users. It was anchored by a Books and Beyond open day that pitched Canada Water Library as a community hub, reinforced by lively social media reels. More than 2,000 people attended, and memberships and loans have seen a sustained increase. The initiative proved that when people discover libraries, they keep coming back.

Twin Towns Library

Frances Browne Storytellers

Island of Ireland

Twin Towns Library in County Donegal is the Island of Ireland winner for its Frances Browne Storytellers: Seeing Beyond Sight project. Named for a blind writer from 19th-century Donegal, it invited blind and visually-impaired writers from across Ireland to submit work for an anthology that was published in large-print, digital and Braille formats. It was a fine example of the library’s passion for making reading accessible to all.

Warwickshire Libraries

Warwickshire Libraries Book Bingo

Midlands

There are plenty of good initiatives to help children to widen their reading, but Warwickshire Libraries, the Midlands winner, found a great one to encourage adults too. Book Bingo gave nearly 1,000 participants cards with a dozen ideas for books and genres to try, backed up with incentives, staff support and author events. Nearly two thirds reported they were borrowing more books as a result. “It’s rekindled my love of the library,” said one participant.

West Sussex Library Service

West Sussex Library Service Centenary Project

East & South-East England

West Sussex Library Service is the East & South-East England winner for the second time in a row. The service celebrated its centenary in 2025 and used the milestone to look forward as well as back, raising awareness of all that it offers and increasing memberships, events and partnerships. Highlights included the virtual-reality experience Library of Possibilities and Wonder, a centenary reading challenge and showcase of 100 “library champions”.