Win £1,000 / €1,000 for your school’s library
Nominate your school to #rebuildthelibrary and you could win a £100/€120 National Book Token for yourself!
As our friends at Read for Good will tell you, it's well established that reading for pleasure leads to significantly better outcomes for children – boosting academic performance, enhancing wellbeing, and fostering vital life skills like empathy.
But did you know that 1 in 5 children don't have a book at home? And 1 in 7 primary schools in England have no library space at all, affecting more than 750,000 children.
Meanwhile, a recent survey from Children’s Books Ireland found that more than half (55%) of children in Ireland own 15 books or less. Primary school libraries in Ireland have had no sustained funding since 2008, and many schools lack a dedicated library space for their students; many schools rely on donations to supplement their libraries.
Both Read for Good and Children's Books Ireland have found that the school libraries that do exist, at primary and secondary level, are often filled with unappealing and outdated books. Children facing poverty, who need these school libraries the most, are most likely to be missing out.
It's time to #rebuildthelibrary.
Our annual schools prize gives five schools across the UK and Ireland the chance to win £1,000/€1,000 in National Book Tokens so they can fill their library shelves with new books. Each winning school will also receive £300/€300 in cash to make improvements to their library space, making it fun and welcoming for all.
Nominate your school using the form below, and if yours is one of the five winning entries, you'll also win a £100/€120 National Book Token to spend in your favourite bookshop! Remember, the more entries received for your school, the higher the chance they'll win – so don’t forget to spread the word. If you work in a school, check out our downloadable banners and posters below.
"Thank you so much to National Book Tokens for this fantastic prize. It's such an amazing gift and we are already asking our pupils, especially our new S1 pupils, what books they would like us to buy for their classrooms and school library which will help support us working towards being a Scottish Book Trust Reading School."
Marie Duley, Baldragon Academy, Dundee (2024 winner)
"Winning the National Book Tokens prize means so much to us. We are opening our new library in our school in mid-October. This will be the first library in our new school building. With this fantastic prize, we will be able to stock the library with new books that are appealing to our young readers. They will also be available for all our students for many years. Go raibh maith agaibh! Thank you so much!"
Cárthaigh Ó Cuill, Gaelscoil Chnoc Liamhna, Dublin (2024 winner)
Read for Good and National Book Tokens have worked in partnership for many years, bringing the joy of being able to choose and keep a book to thousands of children.
- Thousands of schools run Readathon® because it's a proven, fun way to get pupils reading for pleasure. Money raised through Readathon supports Read for Good's hospital programme, bringing the magic of books and stories to children in hospitals across the UK.
- Explore the wonderful world of books through our Reading Journey posters – created to appeal to pupils who are not sure what they’d like to read.
- Apply for one of Read for Good’s Brilliant Box of Books, helping schools and community settings in need get a boost of books!
- Get reading inspiration from their Books We Love page - ideal if you’re buying new books for your school.
- And for more reading resources go to readforgood.org and sign up to Read for Good's email updates to find out about free author events, book giveaways and more!
National Book Tokens have inspired booklovers for more than 90 years, empowering readers to choose just the right books for them. National Book Tokens gift cards are accepted in hundreds of bookshops across the UK and Ireland, and online.
Available to purchase in bookshops, supermarkets, or online – including personalised and e-gift cards, and Bookily – there are designs for booklovers of all ages and for all occasions. National Book Tokens gift cards are produced on FSC-certified card, have an expiry of 8 years from last use, and expired cards can be replaced.
Find out how National Book Tokens can be used to reward, inspire and incentivise children and students.
2024
- Baldragon Academy, Dundee
- Astrea Academy, Doncaster
- Gaelscoil Chnoc Liamhna, Dublin
- Kingsbury Green Academy, Wiltshire
- Malmesbury Primary School, Tower Hamlets
2023
- St John's and St Peter's Academy, Birmingham
- North Huddersfield Trust School, Huddersfield
- Scoil Bhríde Lann Léire, Co. Louth
- Sporle C of E Primary Academy, Norfolk
- Ysgol Ffordd Dyffryn, Llandudno
2022
- Archbishop Temple Church of England High School, Lancashire
- Batley Girls' High School, West Yorkshire
- Finn Valley College, Donegal
- Hanslope Primary School, Milton Keynes
- Star of the Sea RC Primary School, Tyne and Wear
