MC Grammar wins Ruth Rendell Award 2026

The author, teacher and rapper MC Grammar (aka Jacob Mitchell) was announced as the award’s winner at the ALCS Annual Awards ceremony at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London on 26 February.

MC Grammar was recognised for his work spreading his message of the transformative power of reading and books. As a World Book Day ambassador, MC Grammar performed at Number 10, as well as appearing on BBC News and ITV. His Reading Agency Presents appearance saw children from 72 schools across the country following along to his rap about The Gruffalo, also performing at a number of festivals including Bestival, Latitude and Glastonbury. 

On winning the prize, he said:

“I left school with one GCSE and I didn’t connect with books or reading. I tried to get a job and I couldn’t get one. Nobody really understood what I was trying to get across, inside I had these big feelings and everything was loud, bold and proud, but inside it was very quiet and muted. That was because I couldn’t express myself, I didn’t have any words. But then I found Hip-Hop music and I finally felt understood. I really connected with the way people expressed themselves, their anger, feeling misunderstood and marginalised.

I said I want to be a rapper now. But I was missing the words. I needed to write, so I gave reading a go. I read voraciously every day. They gave me words, and changed my life. They opened doors for me that I didn’t know existed before. They gave me a way to express the feelings I was feeling. And I realised then that literacy isn’t just ink on paper. It’s all around us, in our text messages, in the way we tell our stories at the dinner table.

I decided I needed to share this gift with kids like me, so I became a teacher. This generation need it more than most. These screens are so bright and the scrolling is endless. We need to get across to them that there’s a patient power waiting for them that no algorithm can replace. So I’m on this mission to get kids and families reading deeply together, because books are the bridges that bring them together. It’s not just about honouring literacy tonight, it’s about protecting it every single day.“

Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust and Ruth Rendell Award Judge, said:

“Jacob’s mission to engage children with literacy and reading is a national phenomenon. He has inspired thousands of children as a writer with his Adventures of a Rap Kid books as a World Book Day Ambassador, rapping kids’ literature on TV, in schools and in sell-out events. With over 300,000 Instagram followers, he is winning a generation for literacy, by using the power of rap to take reading to the heart of popular culture.“

ALCS Chief Executive Barbara Hayes said:

“All of those shortlisted have gone above and beyond in their efforts to inspire a love of reading and being able to celebrate all of them as part of the ALCS Annual Awards is an honour. MC Grammar’s enthusiasm and commitment to spreading the joy of reading to as many children as possible is infectious and I am very pleased to have him as this year’s winner.”

The shortlist also featured Maisie Chan, Piers Torday, Nicola Garrard, Nathanael Lessore, Maz Evans, Rob Biddulph, and Laura Henry-Allain MBE.

The award was launched in 2016 by ALCS and the National Literacy Trust in honour of the best-selling crime author and literacy advocate Ruth Rendell, who passed away in 2015. Previous winners include Andy McNab and Cressida Cowell, Greg James and Chris Smith, and last year’s winner Tom Percival. 

You can learn more about the Ruth Rendell Award here.