The nine regional and country winners of the British Book Awards 2026 Independent Bookshop of the Year have been named. Sponsored by Gardners, the award "celebrates those bookshops that continue to draw book lovers to towns and cities across the United Kingdom and Ireland," the Bookseller reported. The overall winner, to be named May 11, receives a £5,000 (about $6,730), and will go on to compete for Book Retailer of the Year. The regional and country winners are:
Backstory, Balham (London)
Book Lovers Bookshop, Edinburgh (Scotland)
FOLDE Dorset, Shaftesbury (South-West England)
Griffin Books, Penarth (Wales)
P&G Wells Booksellers, Winchester (South-East England)
The Book Hive, Norwich (East of England)
The Rabbit Hole, Brigg (Midlands)
The Secret Bookshelf, Carrickfergus (Island of Ireland)
Truman Books, Farsley (North England)
Tom Tivnan, the Bookseller deputy editor, said: "Our record year of submissions speaks to the fine fettle independent bookshops are in, despite the myriad challenges small businesses face. In an incredibly competitive year, these nine winners are the best of best: kings and queens of local high streets, pillars of communities and--crucially in this National Year of Reading--champions of helping others discover the joy of books... the through-line of all of them is energy, innovation, entrepreneurship and having the skills to be both digitally savvy and customer-focused."