- Charity partners behind the National Year of Reading named Charities of the Year for 2026
- National Year of Reading to be discussed across the Fair with speakers including Dame Gail Rebuck, Lord Paul Boateng, Tom Weldon, Joanna Prior, Sanjee de Silva
- Additional speakers added to the LBF line-up include Netflix, Rebecca Glashow (Tribeca Film Festival), Mary Bekhait (YMU Group), Ji Weimin (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Mary Glenn (UN Publications), Gvantsa Jobava (IPA), GeLuis González Martín (GSR Foundation)
London, Friday 6 February 2026. The London Book Fair (LBF) has today announced the nominated Charity of the Year for 2026 will be the nine charities underpinning the National Year of Reading. The news comes as the Fair shares additional Seminar Programme highlights for this year’s edition.
The nine charities that will form the cohort of Charities of the Year are: The National Literacy Trust, The Reading Agency, BookTrust, Bookmark Reading Charity, Chapter One, Coram Beanstalk, Fair Education Alliance, The Queen’s Reading Room and World Book Day.
A Department for Education initiative, the National Year of Reading was developed in collaboration with partners across the literacy sector, and aims to encourage people of all ages to read for pleasure. The campaign is a response to declining reading enjoyment among young people and aims to increase literacy, boost wellbeing, and build a culture where “reading is for everyone”.
The nine charities will have a dedicated stand on the floor space at the Fair, to use as part of their involvement with the National Year of Reading. In addition, they will feature in the Seminar Programme in a session taking place in The Salon on Tuesday 10 March, 15.45-16.45, and featuring: Dame Gail Rebuck, Chair of Penguin Random House UK; David Hayman, Director of the National Year of Reading, and representatives from the National Year of Reading delivery charities.
David Hayman, Director of the National Year of Reading, said: “We’re delighted that the National Year of Reading, together with the nine delivery charities behind the campaign, have been chosen as The London Book Fair Charity of the Year. This recognition reflects the spirit of collaboration across the entire industry that sits at the heart of the campaign and underpins its success. The Go All In campaign is about reimagining what reading can look like and where it belongs. Through this unique charity partnership, we are opening new and creative ways for people to encounter and enjoy reading in their everyday lives. By meeting people where they are, we can spark curiosity, unlock creativity, and help reading feel relevant, accessible, and exciting again. Crucially, this year is not an endpoint. Our ambition is to create a lasting legacy, building habits, confidence, and a lifelong love of reading that will continue well beyond 2026.”
Emma Lowe, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “We are thrilled to be appointing the nine charities supporting the National Year of Reading as our Charities of the Year for 2026. The National Year of Reading is a call to arms to make reading more accessible, to more people – irrespective of age, background and skills. Do make sure to visit their stand at the Fair, and their dedicated session on the Seminar Programme will be just one of the many occasions we’ll have to discuss this important nation-wide campaign. Our Seminar Programme overall is packed with insightful sessions, from book-to-screen adaptations to Japanese literature, diversity and inclusion to global book trends in the past year. With just over a month to go, we can’t wait to welcome everyone back for another unmissable Fair.”
The National Year of Reading will feature prominently across the Seminar Programme, with speakers including: Lord Paul Boateng, Vice Patron of Book Aid International; Joanna Prior, CEO of Pan Macmillan; Tom Weldon, CEO of Penguin Random House; Sanjee de Silva, Publisher at Sweet Cherry Publishing, and more. From discussions around the role of libraries and bookshops in the National Year of Reading, to the introduction of the Young Voices Network, to the National Year of Reading drinks at the end of the first day of the Fair, LBF will be the stage for crucial conversations on the industry can foster a love for reading across all generations.
Further highlights across the Seminar Programme’s three days include:
Tuesday 10th March
11:00 – 11:45 How to Survive and Thrive in a Post Search World, Main Stage
This session explores what this rapid behavioural change means for visibility and trust. What do individuals and organisations need to know to adapt to these changes. Jamie Bartlett, one of the UK’s leading technology writers and thinkers and author of How to Talk to AI: (And how not to); Sarah Posner, Bonnier Books UK; Karen Ronde, CEO of Danish Press Publications. The session will be chaired by Searsha Sadek, Shimmr AI.
11:15 – 11:45 Beyond the Gatekeepers: Reaching New Readers and Communities in Publishing, The Salon
As part of the National Year of Reading, this panel, curated by the Black British Book Festival, explores how publishing can better reach readers and communities it continues to miss. Drawing on lived experience from youth work, grassroots reading movements, and inclusive publishing leadership, the discussion will offer practical insights into access, trust, and building lasting readership beyond traditional publishing routes.
14:45 – 15:30 Irish, Scottish Gaelic & Welsh: Writing, Publishing & Translation Today, Literary Translation Centre
The three indigenous languages of the British Isles produce vibrant literature that is often invisible to mainstream publishers, award juries and media. How can writing in Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh become better known and acknowledged? What role does translation play in the two-way process of enriching and connecting what’s often seen as peripheral to ensure its place in the national conversations?
15:45 – 16:30 Translators as agents: a solution for less translated literatures? Literary Translation Centre
Translators working from less widely spoken languages are described as “ambassadors” or, in more practical terms, as “scouts”, since they often cover a wide spectrum of roles: promoting “their“ literature and authors, pitching titles to publishers, writing reader reports and more. Some make the final step towards a parallel career by becoming literary agents and representing selected authors and titles. In this session, two translators turned agents discuss the challenges of taking on this role in addition to continuing to translate with a representative of CEATL, the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations.
Wednesday 11th March
10.30 – 11.15 Bookshops to BAFTAs: How some of our best-loved stories are finding new audiences via TV, film and streaming, Main Stage
In the National Year of Reading, the Publishers Association is bringing together voices from across the page to screen lifecycle to discuss adaptations and consider the importance of books to the wider creatives industries; why adaptations work and why audiences can’t seem to get enough of them; and how we might turn viewing for enjoyment into reading for enjoyment.
13.30 – 14.00 Interview with Mary Bekhait, CEO of YMU Group – Finding new talent and new stories in 2026, Main Stage
Mary Bekhait is one of the most powerful figureheads in the global entertainment industry. As CEO of YMU Group talent management agency represents authors, podcasters, influencers, creators, sports stars and TV personalities. In the modern world stories enter our eyes and ears from so many sources. But what defines a story worth telling? Who are the new curators and gatekeepers of quality? Who and where are the modern day sources of storytelling talent? How do publishers currently engage and do they need to adapt?
Thursday 12th March
12.15 – 13.00 DEI in Publishing: Barriers, Breakthroughs & Takeaways for 2026, Tech Theatre
As publishing leaders strive to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into their organisations, the path to meaningful change remains complex. This session shares practical takeaways from recent industry conversations and explores how leadership can turn commitments into action in 2026 and beyond. Join Jodie Williams, Pan Macmillan, and Iram Satti, Bloomsbury, in discussion with Abigail Barclay, Managing Director of Inspired Search & Selection, who will chair this thought-provoking session.
14.45 – 15.15 The Modern Literary Translation Landscape in Japan, Literary Translation Centre
Two editors and a rights manager representing three different Japanese publishing houses discuss the current state of Japanese literature in translation. They also look to the horizon as a new government-sponsored initiative aims to further promote the translation and publication of Japanese works. Featuring Hiroshi Arai, Hiroki Shibayama, Yoko Sakanoue, and moderated by Kaja Murawski.
The London Book Fair (LBF) is the world’s largest spring book trade and publishing event and will return to Olympia London from 10 – 12 March 2026.