Toronto, May 26, 2026 – Today, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) and the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) released the shortlists for the 2026 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards. The Schwartz Awards are the only Canadian literary award where student jurors work together to choose the winning books.
Student juries from Brock Public School in Toronto, Ont., will debate the shortlisted books and come to a consensus on the 2026 winners. The winning books will be announced at an event in June.
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK AWARD CATEGORY | |
 | Chidori: A Story of One Thousand Birds |
 | Dreaming Alongside by Monique Gray Smith (Victoria, B.C.) Illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt (Toronto, Ont.) Orca Book Publishers |
 | Grandma Can Make Anything by Susan Avingaq (Igloolik, Nvt.) and Maren Vsetula (Guelph, Ont.) illustrations by Amiel Sandland (Toronto, Ont.) Inhabit Media |
 | Ra! Ta! Ma! Cue! by Howie Shia (Toronto, Ont.) Annick Press |
 | The Warmest Blanket in the World by Tamara Levine (Ottawa, Ont.) Illustrated by Ellie Arscott (Toronto, Ont.) Second Story Press |
YOUNG ADULT / MIDDLE READER AWARD CATEGORY | |
 | Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel (Toronto, Ont.) Penguin Random House |
 | I Won’t Feel This Way Forever by Kim Spencer (Prince Rupert, B.C.) Orca Book Publishers |
 | Robot Island by Cary Fagan (Toronto, Ont.) Penguin Random House / Tundra Books |
 | The Haunted Blizzard by Aviaq Johnston (Iqaluit, Nvt.) Inhabit Media |
 | We Bury Nothing by Kate Blair (Toronto, Ont.) DCB Young Readers / Cormorant Books |
ABOUT THE RUTH AND SYLVIA SCHWARTZ CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS
Two awards of $6,000 each are presented annually to recognize artistic excellence in writing and illustration in English-language Canadian children’s literature. The winners are selected by two juries of young readers, this year comprising students at Brock Public School. Five students in grade 4 will select the recipient of the Children’s Picture Book Award. Five students in grade 8 will select the recipient of the Young Adult / Middle Reader Award.
LEARN MORE
The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards were established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz in memory of her sister, Ruth, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the family renamed the awards to honour both sisters. OAF administers the awards with the support of OAC, which manages the nomination and jury process.
The nomination committee that chose this year’s shortlist consisted of Andrei Iorga (teacher librarian at Birch Cliff Heights Public School in Toronto), Stephen Davidson (co-owner of The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore in Ottawa), and Danielle Big Canoe Snake (Children’s Library Programmer at Chippewas of Rama First Nation Public Library).
See the full details on the award and the complete list of past laureates.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Shoshana Wasser, Associate Director of Public Affairs and Communications, OAC
swasser@arts.on.ca
ONTARIO ARTS FOUNDATION INQUIRIES
Bruce Bennett, Executive Director, OAF
bbennett@oafdn.ca
The Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2024-2025, the OAF paid $4.8 million in endowment income and $540,000 in awards and scholarships.
For more than 60 years, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians. In 2024-25, OAC invested its grant program budget of $52.2 million in 204 communities across 123 Ontario ridings, providing 1,960 grants to individual artists and 1,030 grants to organizations
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