UK to celebrate inaugural National Magazine Day

Backed by leading publishers, charities and industry partners, the initiative aims to distribute more than 60,000 magazines to young readers across the UK as part of the National Year of Reading

Rob Fletcher

July 16, 2026

Campaigners aim to get more than 60,000 magazines to children across the UK

Multinational publishing house Immediate Media has announced the launch of National Magazine Day 2026, a new campaign aimed at encouraging more children to read.

Taking place on 14^th October, the initiative forms part of the UK’s National Year of Reading, bringing together leading publishers, including Immediate, Egmont, Kennedy, Future, and Creature & Co, in partnership with Frontline.

The goal is to get more than 60,000 magazines into the hands of children, with the campaign beginning more than three months ahead of National Magazine Day 2026 in October. This will focus on families and communities who have limited access to reading resources, with support also coming from the National Literacy Trust and various charities.

As part of the campaign, a national school competition is taking place from July through to the start of September, with parents able to win bundles of children’s magazines for their child’s school. Some 20 schools across the UK will each receive 250 magazines.

Families who nominate a winning school will also receive a £100 Amazon voucher, while one school will scoop a special £1,000 ‘Golden Ticket’ to spend on new books, magazines, and other reading resources for their library.

The campaign comes after recent research from the National Literacy Trust found reading enjoyment among 8 to 18‑year‑olds climbed modestly after four consecutive years of decline. However, with just over a third saying they enjoy reading in their free time, there is a desire to increase reading among children.

Sean Cornwell, CEO of Immediate comments: “At the heart of this campaign is a simple aim: to help children discover the joy of reading. Magazines offer a uniquely engaging entry point for young readers, especially powerful for reluctant or less confident readers.

“It’s fantastic to work on such an important project with our partners from across the industry to demonstrate the impact we can have when publishers, partners and charities work together to help inspire more children to enjoy reading.”