National Year of Reading named for 2026

The National Year of Reading is not a one-off festival or a single government announcement. It is a year-long UK campaign for 2026 led by the Department for Education and delivered with the National Literacy Trust and a group of reading charities and partners, according to the official campaign and partner pages. The public-facing message is “Go All In,” a slogan organisers say is meant to connect reading to interests people already have rather than treat it as a separate activity. Epigram reported on July 9 that the campaign is being framed around public participation through events and programmes during 2026. The official campaign site says people can take part at home, in schools, at work and in their communities. ### Who is actually running it? The Department for Education is the government body behind the initiative, while the National Literacy Trust says it is delivering the campaign in collaboration with core partners including The Reading Agency, BookTrust, World Book Day, Bookmark and The Queen’s Reading Room. That structure matters because the campaign is being presented as a national effort spread across schools, libraries, charities and community institutions, not just a Whitehall programme. (epigram.org.uk) The National Literacy Trust describes the National Year of Reading 2026 as “the biggest campaign in a generation” aimed at helping more people “(re)discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives.” The Reading Agency says the campaign is intended to address a “steep decline” in reading among children, young people and adults. ### What does “Go All In” mean in practice? (literacytrust.org.uk) “Go All In” is the brand identity for the campaign, unveiled by the National Literacy Trust and the Department for Education in October 2025. Organisers say the idea is to reconnect reading with things people already care about, including football, music, gaming, gardening, food and family time, rather than present reading only through traditional book culture. (literacytrust.org.uk) The official schools material broadens that definition further. The campaign says reading can include novels, non-fiction, poetry, comics, magazines, graphic novels and audiobooks, while school-facing guidance also points to digital and audio forms such as articles, podcasts, lyrics and games. That language suggests organisers are trying to lower the barrier to participation by widening what counts as reading. (literacytrust.org.uk) ### Is this mainly for children, or for everyone? Schools and early-years settings are a central part of the programme, and the campaign site has dedicated pages for educators, assemblies, author events, webinars and classroom resources. But the official material says the year is also aimed at adults, workplaces, libraries and wider community groups. The main site explicitly invites participation at home, school, work and in local communities. (literacytrust.org.uk) BookTrust says the campaign aims to change the nation’s reading culture “both during the year and beyond,” and The Reading Agency says it is supporting public library engagement. National Centre for Writing says schools, workplaces, libraries, cultural organisations and individuals across the country will be involved during 2026. ### What kinds of events are planned? (goallin.org.uk) January 2026 marked the formal launch phase. The Bookseller reported that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson launched the “Go All In” campaign at Emirates Stadium on January 13 alongside ambassadors including Richard Osman, Nadia Shireen and former footballer Theo Walcott. The campaign is then structured around activity across the calendar. (booktrust.org.uk) School materials refer to three terms of activity in 2026, while partner pages list “key moments” tied to existing national events. The Reading Agency says June 2026 includes Volunteers’ Week, Libraries Change Lives Week, the Empathy Day Festival and The Big Lunch, with partners encouraging people to combine those moments with reading-themed activity. (thebookseller.com) ### Where would someone go to take part? The official entry point is the Go All In campaign website, which includes sections for schools, communities and workplaces, plus press materials and guidance for partners. The National Literacy Trust, The Reading Agency and BookTrust also each host campaign pages with programme details and participation information. The next visible step is continued programming through the rest of 2026, with schools offered term-by-term activities and partners linking events to national moments including the June 1-7 volunteering and library weeks and the June 2-12 Empathy Day Festival. (goallin.org.uk 1) (goallin.org.uk 2)