Am Gymro! by Medi Jones-Jackson, illustrated by Telor Gwyn, Primary category
Gwen ac Arianrhod by Lleucu Gwenllian, Secondary category
Am Gymro! by Medi Jones-Jackson and Gwen ac Arianrhod by Lleucu Gwenllian are the winners in the Welsh-language categories for the 2026 Tir na n-Og Awards for children and young people’s literature.
The winners were announced today, 28 May, at a special ceremony at the Urdd Eisteddfod Ynys Môn, hosted by Elain Llwyd, one of this year’s Tir na n-Og Awards Ambassadors.
Am Gymro! by Medi Jones-Jackson, illustrated by Telor Gwyn (Y Lolfa)
An appealing and fun book about 13 inspiring men from Wales who are experts in their particular fields and come from all parts of Wales.
Medi Jones-Jackson said: It’s difficult to convey the feeling of winning this award without using the word ‘honour’. I can’t believe it! I’d like to thank the panel, Y Lolfa and the Books Council of Wales for their support, but my greatest thanks goes to young readers in Wales. I love visiting schools across the country and seeing their excitement grow as they learn a little about our history as a nation, and hope that I’ve inspired the next Richard Burton or Dafydd Iwan!”
Rhys Dilwyn Jenkins, chair of the judging panel said: “As we celebrate the Tir na n-Og Awards’ 50th birthday this year, the panel all felt that choosing Am Gymro! and its focus on well-known Welsh figures was a good way to celebrate. The information in the book highlights Wales’ heroes – not just sports stars or singers, but also artists, scientists, actors and poets. The content and illustrations are entertaining and capture the imagination, whatever your age, and there’s certainly something to be learned from reading it. The activities at the back of the book offer a fun way to help retain the information.”
Gwen ac Arianrhod by Lleucu Gwenllian, illustrated by Lleucu Gwenllian (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)
Moving to a new school is never easy – it’s even harder when you don’t fit in. A graphic novel about friendship, grief and the difficulties of growing up.
Lleucu Gwenllian said: “I couldn’t believe that Gwen ac Arianrhod had been chosen to be on the Tir na n-Og shortlist this year, so to find out that the book had won was a surreal feeling. So many of the authors and illustrators I admire have won the award, I just can’t believe it! Writing and illustrating Gwen ac Arianrhod was a labour of love and the process really stretched me as an artist, so it is such an honour that the book has been recognised in this way.”
Rhys Dilwyn Jenkins, chair of the judging panel said: “The whole panel agreed that this story breaks new ground among Welsh-language books. Its form and design are creative, and it tackles a variety of themes in a compelling way. The story weaves together the old and the new and is told through illustrations, allowing us to experience a wide range of emotions throughout – all with so few words on the pages! The creativity and skill required to bring this lovely story to life deserve high praise; it contributes to the direction of contemporary Welsh literature and offers something modern for readers to read and enjoy.”
The other titles on the Welsh-language shortlists were
Primary category
Cyfri Defaid by Enlli Lewis, illustrated by Gareth Brown (Atebol)
Gerwyn Gwrthod a’r Llyfr Does Neb yn Cael ei Ddarllen by Siôn Tomos Owen, illustrated by Siôn Tomos Owen (Atebol)
Llyfr Sgrap Macs Sion by Mari Lovgreen, illustrated by Cai Tudur (Y Lolfa)
Secondary category
Y Garthen by Sioned Wyn Roberts (Atebol)
Anfarwol by Rebecca Roberts (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)
Y Cae Ras by Manon Steffan Ros (Y Lolfa)
Also announced today were the winners of the 2026 Welsh-language Readers’ Choice Award. This is a special award chosen by the children and young people who took part in the Tir na n-Og Shadowing Scheme. During the ceremony, the winner of the Readers’ Choice Award in the Primary category was announced by pupils from Ysgol Llandegfan, and the winner of the Readers’ Choice Award in the Secondary category was announced by Mei Medrun and Lleucu Hughes from the Books Council’s Young People’s Panel.
The winner of the Welsh-language Readers’ Choice Award in the primary category is Llyfr Sgrap Macs Sion by Mari Lovgreen, illustrated by Cai Tudur (Y Lolfa)
The winner of the Welsh-language Readers’ Choice Award in the secondary category is Y Cae Ras by Manon Steffan Ros (Y Lolfa)
Established in 1976, the annual Tir na n-Og Awards celebrate the best books for children and young people in Wales. They are organised by the Books Council of Wales and sponsored by CILIP Cymru Wales. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the awards.
Sue Polchow, Community Development Manager – CILIP Cymru Wales said: “As the membership body for librarians and information professionals in Wales, we are delighted to sponsor the Tir na n-Og Awards in their special 50th anniversary year. Across the years these truly unique Books Council of Wales book awards have both celebrated outstanding stories about Wales and showcased authors from Wales, all of which has inspired young readers to immerse themselves in the joy of reading. Congratulations to all the winning authors!”
The winner of the Tir na n-Og Award in the English-language category was revealed on 8 May – The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni (Electric Monkey, Harper Collins).
The winner of the English-language Readers’ Choice Award is 10 Fascinating Stories from Welsh History (that you’ll want to talk about) by Siân Lewis and Charlotte Williams, illustrated by Kyle Legall (Rily).
A year of celebrations
The Tir na n-Og Awards 50th birthday celebrations will continue throughout 2026, with a full year of activities planned to celebrate half a century of the very best books for children and young people.
- Readers of all ages can join the Tir na n-Og Reading Challenge and enjoy a series of fun challenges to take them on a reading adventure to remember. Challenge leaflets for children, young people and adults can be collected from your local bookshop or library or downloaded from Reading Challenge – Gwobrau Tir na n-Og Awards The Books Council of Wales is very grateful to Gwasg Gomer Press for their generous support to print the reading challenges.
- Join the Books Council of Wales at the Eisteddfod y Garreg Las for two events in the Literary Pavilion (Y Babell Lên) with special guests:
- 2 August, 10.30: Llyfrau plant a phobl ifanc – y bennod nesaf: Podlediad Sut i Ddarllen yn dathlu 50 mlynedd o Wobrau Tir na n-Og
Francesa Sciarrillo will be joined by Elgan Rhys and Mared Fflur, the Chair of the Books Council’s Young People’s Panel. They will celebrate the importance of children’s and young people’s literature today and look ahead to the next fifty years.
- 3 August, 12pm: Goreuon ein llên: Hanner canrif o Wobrau Tir na n-Og
Dr Siwan Rosser, Manon Steffan Ros, Caryl Lewis and Huw and Luned Aaron will reflect on the past winners and legacy of the Tir na n-Og Awards, celebrating Wales’ oldest book awards for literature for children and young people.
The Books Council of Wales is very grateful to our Ambassadors and generous supporters of the Tir na n-Og Awards 2026:
Ambassadors: Richard Parks, Elain Llwyd and Ffion Llwyd.
Sponsors:
- CILIP Cymru Wales, our long-standing sponsor of the awards
- BCCIT
- Bluestone National Park Resort
- Folly Farm
- Gwasg Gomer
- Halen Môn
- Welshpool Printing Group
Supporting the National Year of Reading, Go All In, the Tir na n-Og Awards and Reading Challenge are part of a huge programme of activities to celebrate reading across the UK. The main aim of the ‘Go All In’ campaign is to inspire people to develop a lifelong love of reading – to immerse themselves in a book and enjoy reading.
You can find out more about the Tir na n-Og Awards on the Tir na n-Og website, which is generously supported by Halen Môn: Gwobrau Tir na n-Og Awards, and on the Books Council of Wales website: Tir na n-Og Awards | Books Council of Wales