Traumaland (Rock the Boat), Josh Silver’s ‘gut-punchingly clever’ novel exploring mental health and trauma, has won The YA Book Prize 2026. The news was announced live at Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) on Thursday 27th August in a ceremony hosted by Juno Dawson, writer and former recipient of the prize.

Drawing on Silver’s experience as a former mental health nurse, Traumaland follows 17-year-old Eli, who is struggling to recover from the fallout of a near-fatal car crash with the help of his therapist and family. Emotionally numb, Eli’s desperation to feel again leads him to Traumaland, an underground club where crowds seek new thrills through virtual reality simulations of nightmarish scenarios. But he soon discovers a darker truth to the club that sets him on a dangerous journey.

Silver was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize in 2024 for his debut novel HappyHead (Rock the Boat). Commenting on this year’s win, he said: ‘I have always watched this award and admired the winners and shortlisted participants and felt like what an honour it would be to be part of that. This means the absolute world. YA was my first journey into publishing, and is something that means a lot to me. I am incredibly grateful.’

The YA Book Prize was launched in 2014 by The Bookseller to celebrate great fiction for teenagers and young adults, and encourage more young people into reading. The winner is selected by a panel of expert and teenage judges who are asked to pick the book they believe is the best written and that they would be most likely to share with young adults.

Dawson, who as well as hosting this year’s award ceremony, was one of the 2026 judges said: ‘Traumaland is everything I would want in a YA novel; it’s original, it’s darkly funny, it’s authentic and stylishly written. What’s more, there is something distinctly British about the novel; Josh Silver is a thoroughly deserving winner, showcasing emerging UK talent at its finest.’

The judging panel was chaired by The Bookseller’s children’s editor and deputy features editor Caroline Carpenter, who commented: ‘I’m thrilled that the YA Book Prize 2026 has been awarded to Josh Silver, a rising star of the UK’s literary scene. As ever, this year’s shortlist was incredibly varied, showcasing exceptional ideas and writing, but our adult and teen judges picked out Traumaland for its unique premise and page-turning plot. This bold, exciting storytelling is exactly what the YA Book Prize was set up to champion.’

See the full shortlist for the YA Book Prize 2026 here.