The Excelsior Award is the only fully independent, nationwide book award for graphic novels and manga - where kids aged 9-18 decide the winner (via four age-appropriate categories) by rating each book as they read it! The award now regularly attracts over two hundred schools from all over the UK and Ireland.

Graphic novels/ manga are selected for the four age-appropriate shortlists and the overall goal is to encourage reading amongst teenagers. However, its secondary target is to raise the profile of graphic novels and manga amongst school librarians and teachers. The Excelsior Award attempts to highlight some of the amazing books that are out there - books that fully deserve to be in our school libraries alongside regular fiction!