The winners of the Excelsior Award 2026 have been revealed. This year’s Overall Winner is DC x Sonic the Hedgehog (DC Comics) written by Ian Flynn and illustrated by Adam Bryce Thomas – a crossover story that ‘fired the imaginations of fans of both gaming and comics across the UK’.

The Excelsior Award is the UK’s longest-running award for graphic novels and manga for children and young people. The shortlists are chosen by librarians, comic creators and booksellers but the winners are voted for by children and teenagers in schools across the country, who read and rate the shortlisted titles across four key areas: Story, Artwork, Characters and Dialogue.

To be declared this year’s Overall Winner, DC x Sonic the Hedgehog had first to be chosen as the winner of the Blue Category (11+) from a shortlist of five titles before going on to beat the winners of the three other award categories – White (9+), Red (14+) and Black (Adults).

Congratulations to all this year’s winners!

Excelsior Award White (9+) Winner

Almost Sunset written and illustrated by Wahab Algarmi  (HarperAlley)

Excelsior Award Red (14+) Winner

The Uncanny X-Men: Red Wave written by Gail Simone and illustrated by David Marquez (Marvel)

Excelsior Award Black (Adult) Winner

Dry Cleaned written and illustrated by Joris Mertens and translated by Julia Blackburn and Sandra van Beek) (Jonathan Cape)

Registration to help choose the winners of the 2027 Excelsior Award will open in November. Find out more about the award and how your school can get involved here.