Schotveld and Wahl win Best Book for Young People
Zusje and Windkracht 17 chosen by youth juries in the prize’s two categories.
Janneke Schotveld and Caroline Wahl won the Best Book for Young People 2026 prize on Sunday. Schotveld won with Zusje in the originally Dutch-language category; Wahl received the prize for the translated title Windkracht 17.
The two winners were announced on Sunday during Boekfest in Utrecht. Janneke Schotveld won with Zusje, which she wrote with Rifka Mels and which was published by Querido. In the translated category, the prize went to Caroline Wahl for Windkracht 17, translated into Dutch by Ymke van der Staay and published by Cossee.
The prize has two categories: originally Dutch-language books and translated books. For both categories, a professional jury first compiled a shortlist of five titles. A youth jury then decided which books would be the winners. The jury consisted of readers aged 15 to 18.
Alongside Zusje, the Dutch-language shortlist included Watermeloenman by Henk van Straten, Het meisje dat er niet mocht zijn by Wilma Geldof, Alter by Marloes Morshuis and Kuren by Thijs Hoekstra. The titles were published by various publishers, including Nijgh & Van Ditmar, Luitingh-Sijthoff, Lemniscaat and Das Mag.
In the translated category, the books Badjens by Delphine Minoui, Je had er waarschijnlijk bij moeten zijn by Thomas Korsgaard, Zegeningen by Chukwuebuka Ibeh and Fateless by Julie Kagawa were nominated alongside Windkracht 17. The Dutch translations were by Ursula Teijink, Lammie Post-Oostenbrink, Adiëlle Westercappel and Selma Soester, respectively.
The prize is part of Goed Verhaal, a campaign promoting reading among secondary-school pupils. The campaign is the successor to the Boekenweek van Jongeren and takes place in September in schools, libraries and bookshops. The 3PAK collection is also part of it; this year, it is being distributed among young people aged 15 to 18.
The announcement during Boekfest placed the prize within a broader start to the new book season. The festival in Utrecht combined the presentation with performances, interviews, book signings and a book market. The prize itself is not a sales ranking, but a choice by young readers from a selection compiled by adults.
With Zusje and Windkracht 17, two different forms of young-adult literature are receiving extra visibility: an originally Dutch-language title and a translated novel. What effect the accolade will have on sales, library loans or use in education is not yet known.
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The winners and book titles have been confirmed by a public report referring to Boekblad. The prize structure, jury and festival context have been confirmed by CPNB and ILFU.
- confirmed Janneke Schotveld won with Zusje in the originally Dutch-language category. — Drimble reports the result based on Boekblad; CPNB lists Zusje as a nominated title. source
- confirmed Caroline Wahl won with Windkracht 17 in the translated category. — Drimble reports the result; CPNB confirms the title, translator and publisher on the shortlist. source
- confirmed The prize has categories for originally Dutch-language and translated books. — CPNB describes both categories and the ten nominated titles. source
- confirmed A youth jury of readers aged between 15 and 18 decides the two winners. — CPNB gives the age range of the youth jury and describes its composition. source
- confirmed The announcement took place during Boekfest in Utrecht on 20 September 2026. — CPNB linked the prize presentation to Boekfest; ILFU gave the date and festival programme. source
Editor's note
The result was reported by Drimble based on Boekblad. CPNB confirms the prize structure, the nominees and the youth jury; at the time of checking, a separate official results page from CPNB was not yet available.Sources
- Janneke Schotveld en Caroline Wahl schreven Beste Boek voor Jongeren — Drimble, bron: Boekblad
- Nominaties Beste Boek voor Jongeren bekend op Dag van de Lezer — CPNB
- Boekfest: 20 september 2026 — ILFU
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „beste boek voor jongeren”
- AD — „beste boek voor jongeren”
- de Volkskrant — „beste boek voor jongeren”