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The British Book Awards launches with new book awards for 2026
The British Book Awards will return on 11th May 2026, with an expanded array of book awards recognising the most popular areas of publishing, including fantasy, comics and romantic fiction. Submissions are now open for this year’s awards, which will be held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London.
The British Book Awards, also known as The Nibbies, champions the world of reading by showcasing the authors and illustrators who have stirred hearts and awoken minds, and the industry behind the scenes who bring them to readers. The event highlights the creativity, passion and power that occurs when an entire industry unites to connect readers with stories.
The Bookseller editor Philip Jones, who chairs the awards, said: “The British Book Awards 2025 was memorable for its incredible cast of winners – from Stanley Tucci to Margaret Atwood, from Kate Mosse to Alexei Navalny, from Bloomsbury to The Heath Bookshop to Manchester Libraries – and I can’t wait to start hearing the stories behind this year’s successes. We never like to sit still, and this year’s changes will bring a new energy to the event, as well as helping us to run a focused and shorter ceremony that is in tune with book buyers to support the National Year of Reading.“
New book awards for 2026, include Science Fiction & Fantasy (SFF) and Romantic Fiction, which will replace the existing category of Pageturner, and Graphic Novel, an award that will recognise children’s and adult comics.
Commercial fiction authors have long lobbied for the inclusion of romantic fiction among those genres recognised at the industry event.
Seána Talbot, chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, said: "We are delighted The Nibbies will now have a Romantic Fiction category to showcase to the broader book community the incredible storytelling our RNA award winners, members and readers have always recognised exists in this powerhouse of a genre. This is a brilliant step forward for #RespectRomfic."
Alice O’Keeffe, overall chair of the judges for the Books of the Year, said: "We are seeking summery romcoms, historical romances with extra bustle, heartwarming sagas and tender – or spicy! – love stories of every stripe, with protagonists of all ages that reflect the wide readership of this genre. From the ‘TikTok made me buy it’ superstars to stalwarts of the supermarket shelves, we look forward to celebrating the very best publishing in this area. So go ahead, make us swoon…”
Katie Fraser, The Bookseller’s staff writer who ran the New Adult Book Prize earlier this year and who will chair the new Science Fiction and Fantasy awards, said: “This is recognition and celebration of a truly outstanding genre that continues to go from strength-to-strength. I cannot wait to see the submissions for the award – everything from epic fantasy and romantasy, to space opera, hard SF and dystopias will be welcomed here. This is the place for big-hitting books, published with excellence, that dare to step through the wardrobe into a realm of possibility.”
Tom Tivnan, managing editor of The Bookseller, who will chair the Graphic Novel category, said: “With sales, creativity and innovation at unprecedented levels, we are at the most exciting and important time in the development of the UK comics scene. So I am delighted we are launching the first-ever Nibbie for Graphic Novel of the Year. Comics might be the most versatile sector in all of publishing – a pathway into books for young reluctant readers, the height of thrilling popcorn entertainment and visual storytelling that pushes the boundaries of literary fiction like no other genre. We are keen to celebrate the creators and publishers who are taking graphic novels to the next level. As the great Stan Lee used to say: Excelsior!”
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Overall, there will be reduction in the number of awards at the event in 2026. The Children’s Illustrated & Children’s Non-Fiction categories will now be combined into one.
In the trade section, this year, the Academic, Educational & Professional category will take a break, but following a criteria review, The Bookseller is looking to bring in an updated category for 2027. Non-trade presses are also being encouraged to enter the other publisher categories, including Small Press and Independent Publisher of the Year.
Editor and Imprint will also be combined into one award, which will be a return to the original award format. The Social Impact award, brought in in 2025 to recognise the influence of publisher Allen Lane on the business, will not be awarded this year, and instead The Bookseller will be supporting the National Year of Reading throughout the awards cycle.
The Library of the Year award returns for a second year, sponsored by DK and run in association with the Reading Agency, and will see regional and national shortlists and winners announced ahead of the May event, as with Small Press and Independent Bookshop, the latter sponsored by Gardners. Other awards include Literary Agent, Individual Bookseller, Rights Professional, Book Retailer, and Publisher.
Partners and sponsors for 2026 include Gardners, Clays, the Publishers Association, Spotify, the London Book Fair, Macmillan Children’s Books, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, NielsenIQ BookData, Sharjah, Woodland and World of Books.
Jones added: "The British Book Awards 2026 is for the trade, and of the trade. Good luck to everyone submitting, and a huge thank you for all of the hard work."
