The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2025 have been announced!

Now in their sixth year, The Diverse Book Awards were set up to celebrate the year’s outstanding inclusive books across four award categories:

• Best Picture Book
• Best Children’s Book
• Best Young Adult Book
• Best Adult Book

This year’s category winners were each chosen from a shortlist of ten titles by a panel of independent judges, but schools and members of the public also had a chance to have their say in the Readers’ Choice Awards.

The Diverse Book Awards donate their review copies to UK schools, libraries and hospitals. Apply to receive free copies of two to four books here.

Congratulations to all this year’s winners!

The Diverse Book Awards  2025 – Best Picture Book

WINNER: Until You Find the Sun by Maryam Hassan, illustrated by Anna Wilson (Hodder Children’s Books)

2nd place:The Boy Who Loves to Lick the Wind by Fiona Carswell, illustrated by Yu Rong (Otter-Barry Books)

3rd place: Olu’s Teacher: A Story About Starting Nursery by Jamel C. Campbell, illustrated by Lydia Mba (Walker Books)

The Diverse Book Awards  2025 – Best Children’s Book

WINNER: Birdie by J. P. Rose (Andersen Press)

2nd place: The Boy Who Fell from the Sky by Benjamin Dean (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

3rd place: The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

The Diverse Book Awards  2025 – Best Young Adult Book

WINNER: ​Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence (Penguin Random House Children’s)

2nd place: If My Words Had Wings by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster)

3rd place:Desi Girl Speaking by A. S. Hussain (Hot Key Books)

The Diverse Book Awards  2025 – Best Adult Book

WINNER: Allow Me to Introduce Myself  by Onyi Nwabineli (Magpie)

2nd place:The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams (Faber)

3rd place: The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron (Piatkus)

The Diverse Book Awards  2024 – Readers’ Choice Awards

Best Picture Book: Grandma’s Locs by Karen Arthur, illustrated by Camilla Ru (Tate Publishing)

Best Children’s Book: Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief by Claire Linney (Self-published)

Best Young Adult Book: Desi Girl Speaking by A. S. Hussain (Hot Key Books)

Best Adult Book: The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron (Piatkus)