The 2025 winners of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards were announced earlier today (June 13) during a school assembly at Birch Cliff Heights Public School in Scarborough, Ontario. The winners were selected by two juries of young readers from the school—a jury of Grade 4 students selected the recipient of the children’s picture book category, and a jury of Grade 8 students selected the recipient of the young adult/middle reader category.
The Little Regent, written by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade, illustrated by Ken Daley, and published by Owlkids Books, took home the picture book honour. The young adult/middle reader prize was awarded to The New Girl, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Cassandra Calin (Graphix/Scholastic).
For the complete list of this year's finalists, click here.
The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards were established in 1976 by Sylvia Schwartz to honour her sister, Ruth, a respected Toronto bookseller. In 2004, the family renamed the award to include both sisters. The prize is administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation with support from the Ontario Arts Council, which manages the nomination and jury process. For a complete list of past winners, click here.
For more information, contact:
Shoshana Wasser
Associate Director of Public Affairs and Communications
Ontario Arts Council
swasser@arts.on.ca
Bruce Bennett
Executive Director
Ontario Arts Foundation
bbennett@oafdn.ca