Penguin names cover winners

Penguin Books has named Joe Bundock and Ivy Watts the winners of its 2026 Cover Design Award after asking entrants to reimagine two fantasy classics. (thebookseller.com) Bundock, a student at Leeds Arts University, won the adult fiction category for a new cover for Terry Pratchett’s *Night Watch*. Watts, a self-employed graphic communication designer, won the children’s fiction category for Madeleine L’Engle’s *A Wrinkle in Time*. (thebookseller.com) Penguin said both winners will receive a six-month mentorship with a member of its art department, a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet and £100 in Penguin books. The award is open to entrants with no more than one year of paid creative experience. (penguin.co.uk, thebookseller.com) This year’s briefs asked designers to tackle fantasy from two angles: Pratchett’s 2002 novel *Night Watch* in adult fiction and L’Engle’s 1962 novel *A Wrinkle in Time* in children’s fiction. Penguin’s shortlist page said the *Night Watch* brief had to reflect the book’s fantasy setting while engaging with its political and moral themes. (creativereview.co.uk, penguin.co.uk) Bundock said his *Night Watch* design drew on medieval illuminated manuscripts and linocut printmaking. Judge Beci Kelly said the result looked “classic” and could work across a whole series. (penguin.co.uk, leeds-art.ac.uk) Creative Review reported that Sunny Tsang placed second and Peter Goddard third in the adult fiction category. The judges for that brief included Beci Kelly of Transworld, Lee Motley of Penguin Michael Joseph, Rob Wilkins of the Pratchett literary estate and freelance designer Kishan Rajani. (creativereview.co.uk) In the children’s fiction category, Anna Billson said Watts’ cover used a restricted colour palette and simple illustrations to create a cohesive design from front to spine to back. Creative Review said Em Kirsten finished second and Jiazhen Cai third. (thebookseller.com, creativereview.co.uk) Penguin tied the announcement to new YouGov polling on how readers choose books. The publisher said 49% of people aged 18 to 24 called a cover important in a buying decision, compared with 27% of people over 55, and 15% of younger readers said they would buy a book on the cover alone. (thebookseller.com) The competition has run since 2007, and Penguin says it has helped launch the careers of designers including Harry Woodgate, Jack Smyth, Pete Adlington and Fruzsina Czech. For this year’s entrants, the process ran from October 16, 2025 to January 29, 2026, with shortlisted designers getting feedback from Penguin art directors before final judging. (thebookseller.com, penguin.co.uk) The winners were announced on April 14, closing a contest built to mimic a real publishing brief rather than a one-off student exercise. The result is two covers Penguin used to showcase how it scouts new design talent before those designers land their first industry jobs. (thebookseller.com, penguin.co.uk)