Reading Champion Awards 2026: Announcing the winners

In November 2025, we asked people to nominate themselves or their colleagues for the Reading Champion Awards, sponsored by Browns Books. The awards recognise those who work tirelessly to promote the joy of reading for pleasure to young people in their settings.

Our panel had the unenviable job of selecting just four winners from the many wonderful nominations we received. You can read about these reading role models and their fantastic work to inspire children and teens to read for pleasure below.

Shona Page

As the Resource Centre Coordinator at Morgan Academy, Dundee, Shona Page has established the school library as a bright and welcoming space where every learner feels valued and heard. Shona makes an effort to curate a collection that is shaped by pupil suggestions and fosters a real culture of recommending and sharing books within the school.

In the run-up to Christmas, Shona takes on the job of ‘Book Elf’, purchasing a book for every S1 pupil, based on their individual interests and abilities – a real testament to her ability to get to know her learners. On top of this, Shona is an organisational whiz, bringing together Morgan Academy and cluster primary schools for valuable author events.

One pupil commented: 'I am thankful that we have such a great school library and librarian to go with it.' Shona’s efforts have meant that book borrowing has increased by a mighty 151% compared to last session.

Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith, a Class Teacher at Woodside Primary School in South Lanarkshire, has been recognised for her dedication to prioritising pupil voice with her Reading Rockets and Junior Librarians clubs, giving children the chance to voice their ideas about how to make reading for pleasure a fun and creative experience within the school.

Danielle has set up areas within the school where parents and the wider school community can come and borrow books, and makes an effort to include parents in her reading groups to ensure that reading reaches home as well as school.

In her nomination, Danielle is described as 'an excellent ambassador for Reading for Pleasure, and it has been amazing to see the effect that her work has had on encouraging pupils to read for enjoyment.'

Elizabeth Nelson

For the last four years, Elizabeth Nelson, a lecturer in Multimodal Literacies at the University of Glasgow, has been running weekly reading sessions in her local library. The sessions bring together nursery-aged children with postgraduate students and provide a space for them to share picture books with one another. As a result of Elizabeth’s initiative, over 80 students and 40 children under 5 have been given the opportunity to take part in intergenerational learning.

Elizabeth’s nominator, a lecturer in Museum Studies, described the sessions as creating 'a sustained nurturing environment in which children and young people can read together.' Many of the participants have gone on establish careers with a focus on reading, citing this experience as a driving factor.

Jean Reid

Jean Reid is a former Pupil Support Assistant at St Joseph’s RC Primary School in Fife. Since her retirement, Jean continues to volunteer at the school on a weekly basis, using the time to transform one of the school’s old classrooms into a vibrant and inviting library space for pupils. The children now visit Jean in the library on a fortnightly basis, where she spends time reading with them and getting to know their individual interests.

Jean dedicates her time and energy to ensuring that every child feels seen, and that the library stock reflects the best of contemporary children’s literature.

Staff at the school said of Jean, 'We’d be lost without her. The children love Jean and love that she spends time with them individually to find just the right book for them.'

About the Reading Champion Awards

The Reading Champion Awards is a national award that recognises the hard work learning professionals do to bring the magic of reading to young people. The winners each receive a prize of £250 worth of books from Browns Books, as well as the chance to showcase their work.

Browns Books

Scottish Book Trust would like to thank Browns Books(this link will open in a new window) who sponsor the Reading Champion Awards. Browns Books is the UK's leading supplier of books, eBooks and DVDs for schools, colleges, universities and businesses.