We’re thrilled to announce the winners of our inaugural International Reading Award which celebrates international reading for pleasure in schools. Drum roll please …

Younger category for children aged 0-6

The winner is Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Congratulations!

The nursery and reception class launched a year-long reading project, where staff read and explore books with the children that take them to other countries. Follow-up activities involve play, cultural discovery, learning how to say hello in that country, and the children looking back over the stories and retelling them in their own words.

Describing the impact of the project, the staff say, “The children have enjoyed looking at the world map and thinking about the distance between where we are, in Scarbrough, to the country the book is based in. Many of our children have never been on a train or plane so it was interesting for them to think about how long it would take to travel to these places. We want to raise aspirations for our children and hearing them talk about going travelling and exploring the world has been wonderful. We had children in the outdoors area acting as animals from The Koala Who Could or pretending to be penguins like Jonty Gentoo. We have made backpacks with flasks, binoculars and maps and the children are exploring the outback or deep in the jungle. This imaginative play would not have come about without our reading experiences so I am so glad we have run the project and we will continue to do so all year.”

The reading project has inspired curiosity across the school, too: “Another bonus is our older children are passing the corridor and trying to say hello in other languages or looking at the world map and telling each other facts or information. This is becoming a spark of interest for many children and I hope we can continue to do so.”

Congratulations to the staff at Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy for imagining, planning and running such a lovely reading project with the children which is clearly having an impact on the global outlook of the whole school. There’s a bundle of picture books from 10 countries on its way to you now!

Middle category for children aged 7-12

The winner in this category is York Elementary School in North Carolina, USA.

250 students traveled around the world through a vibrant, multicultural reading project hosted by the school library. With reading stations representing countries such as Morocco, South Africa, Japan, Guatemala, China, Thailand, India, South Korea, Mexico, Iceland, and Australia, students explored picture books and poetry written by authors from each region.

“Drawing from both the public library and our school library collections, students were encouraged to read from at least three different countries. Many students decided to read the books together. At each station, they engaged in thoughtful discussions about life in those places, making meaningful connections to their own experiences,” the librarian explains. “One student volunteered to read a book in Spanish to the class, another shared stories from family visits to Morocco, and others reflected on their heritage, including ties to the England, Philippines, Korea and Japan.”

After reading, students wrote personal reflections comparing what they learned to their own lives. The project was noted by the judges for not only deepening students understanding of global cultures but also highlighting the rich diversity within the school community. “It was a joyful celebration of voices from around the world and a powerful reminder of the stories that connect us all,” as the librarian put it.

One highlight was reading excerpts from Adventures to School: Real Life Journeys of Students from Around the World. Students were fascinated by how kids in other countries get to school—by boat, hiking through mountains, or riding in tuk-tuks. It sparked great conversations and helped students connect their own routines to those of children across the globe.

Congratulations to all at York Elementary School … enjoy your book bundle of international middle grade fiction when it arrives!

The judges also gave an honourable mention to Dulwich Prep & Senior School for a fantastic-sounding reading project, particularly noting the focus on exploring local, colloquial and indigenous vocabulary as part of students’ reading journey around the world. Congratulations on a very special, well-planned and inspiring reading project!

Older category for teens, aged 13+

The winner in this category is The British School in The Netherlands!

Introducing their project, the lead teacher said, “As a British international school with almost 90 nationalities represented across our junior and senior campuses, celebrating global literature aligns naturally with our school ethos. The reading challenge encouraged students to explore books in translation and stories set in different cultural contexts. Titles covered a wide geographic spread, including works originally published in French, Arabic, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as stories set in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. This diversity was reflected not only in authors and illustrators but also in protagonists, themes, and genres, ranging from contemporary fiction and fantasy to folktales and graphic novels.”

The project boosted reading for pleasure across the school: “Data from our library management system showed that twice as many books were borrowed compared to the same month last year, demonstrating a clear impact on engagement.” Parents were also invited to recommend titles from their own languages and cultures to enrich the library collection. This fostered community involvement and strengthened the linguistic diversity of the project.

The hot air balloon of books became a focal point for student interaction and drew attention from the wider school community. The lead teacher noted how “many students engaged in spontaneous book talk when returning their books, discussing what they had read with library staff and peers. This helped cultivate a vibrant reading culture that went beyond formal assignments, encouraging curiosity, connection, and pleasure in reading.”

Congratulations to students and staff at the British School in the Netherlands on an inspiring project. There’s a bundle of YA fiction and graphic novels coming your way!

Get ready for the 2026 award!

It’s never too late to get started on a read the world project and think about your school’s entry to next year’s International Reading Award! The 2025 Award was a pilot project to test the concept and we will be refining it based on your feedback, so thank you to everyone who has taken part.

We will share the updated entry form and guidelines here on our website in early 2026, but for now please keep planning your diverse, global reading adventures and browse World Kid Lit to find books from and set in other countries. Our blog and social media are packed full of book reviews, lists, and interviews with authors, illustrators and translators of dozens of languages from every continent.

Happy travels wherever your reading takes you!

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