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Adeola and Lungenmuss-Ward win Ruth Rendell Award for literacy contribution
Author-illustrator Dapo Adeola and author-teacher Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward have won the Ruth Rendell Award for outstanding advocacy of literary education.
Adeola and Lungenmuss-Ward are the first-ever joint-winners of the award, which was launched by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) in memory of author Ruth Rendell in 2016.
The judges described the winners as “exceptionally strong candidates” who were chosen from “an already impressive shortlist” including Yomi Sode, Sita Brahmachari, Glenn Martin James and Giovanni ‘Spoz’ Esposito, “all significant forces for change in the children’s literacy space".
They said both winners had shown “unwavering dedication to championing literacy education and development in the UK over the past year”, with Adeola championing diversity in the industry by creating Black British Illustrators Meet Up, as well as supporting a campaign to bring library books to over 22,500 pupils, and Lungenmuss-Ward working with teachers and parents across the country to help them support children’s literacy skill development. He has worked with some of the most vulnerable families in Suffolk to make positive reading behaviour changes to instil a love of reading.
Adeola’s other work to promote literacy in 2022 included his role as a National Literacy Trust ambassador, working with the charity Living Painting to create accessible books for visually impaired children, championing emerging talent in his own collaborative works, mentoring new talent via the Pathways programme and holding writers’ clinics for aspiring authors, while acting as writer-illustrator in residence at BookTrust.
Adeola said: “To be up here receiving this particular award is an absolute honour. To have the efforts I’ve gone to in this industry recognised in this fashion is more than I could have asked for. Thank you so much for that.
“But it would be a lie if I took all the credit for the results of my efforts. None of what I’ve done was done solo. When it didn’t take a team to bring home a project, it took people showing up and showing support. Without this and so many other authors, illustrators and readers who continue to show up, I don’t think any of my efforts on and off the page would have gone as well as they have.
“I’d like to thank the teams I work with at my publishers, the various book folk who show up and keep this industry chugging along behind the scenes, the parents and readers who share my books and, last but by no means least, I’d like to thank everyone who simply showed up. And may we continue to show up for each other over the years.”
Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward’s work to promote literacy in 2022 included working closely with the National Literacy Trust’s Get Suffolk Reading hub as a literacy champion, using his training as a teacher to support several reading charities in working with schools, parents and children to engage children with reading during the summer holidays, working with schools around the country to deliver workshops and story sessions and publishing five books, illustrated by his son, while contributing towards academic texts relating to literacy and teaching.
He said: “Being shortlisted for and ultimately winning this award for services to literacy in the UK is a true honour. Just to be acknowledged alongside such talented nominees is completely humbling. Reading and writing have had such a transformative impact on my own life, and to be able to promote the benefits of literacy to others is a true joy. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this initiative and will continue to work towards increasing literacy levels in the UK.”
Jonathan Douglas, c.e.o. at the National Literacy Trust, said: “I am thrilled to honour Dapo and Nigel as the winners of the Ruth Rendell Award 2022. They have dedicated their time, passion, and creativity to support children across the country in not only developing their reading skills, but also their reading enjoyment. We know that low literacy levels can hold a child back at school, lock them out of the job market, affect their mental wellbeing and even their life expectancy. That’s why the work of people like Dapo and Nigel, who use their influence to affect change in communities across the UK, is so vital to the future of literacy in this country. Congratulations to them both because they are truly laudable winners.”
Barbara Hayes, c.e.o. at Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), commented: “It’s inspiring to see that there are so many writers committed to literacy in the UK that we now have joint winners for the first time in the history of the Ruth Rendell Award. Both Dapo and Nigel do fantastic work in such unique ways: Dapo is a passionate advocate for representation and making sure children see themselves reflected in the books and stories they read, while Nigel has worked tirelessly to get children reading for pleasure. Both are worthy winners for this award. Congratulations to them both.”
