Attention parents and kids! Seattle Public Library (SPL), King County Library System and Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) invites you to grab a stack of books, a group of friends and start turning pages — not just for fun, but for prizes as well. SPL, KCLS and SAL have launched their annual Book Bingo event, a summer reading program that encourages teens and adults to read for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, neighbors and co-workers.
Book Bingo runs though September 8, 2026 at 6 p.m. Between now and then, participants read (or listen to) books from a wide variety of categories and keep track of the ones they’ve completed on a special Book Bingo card. Five completed reads completes one row on the Bingo card. A complete card — available in English and Spanish — means you’ve gotten through 25 books. Once your card is complete, submit it by Sept. 8 for a chance to win.
There are separate Bingo cards from SAL for Youth (under 17) and Adults. Any type of reading counts, including audiobooks.
Bingo Book Categories
Each square on the Book Bingo card presents a reading challenge in a specific category. The 2026 Summer Book Bingo card (Adult edition) includes 24 categories, ranging from topical prompts such as “Outer Space,” “FIFA World Cup Country,” and “Unplug,” to perennial favorites like “Myth and Legend,” “Hard-to-Love Protagonist,” “Soothing,” and “Under 150 Pages.”
The categories are intentionally flexible, and any type of book counts toward a square, including audiobooks and graphic novels.
For readers ages 17 and younger, the Youth Book Bingo card features 24 categories, including “Local Hero,” “Aquatic,” and “Change Is Scary.” Like the adult version, the youth categories are designed to encourage exploration while giving readers plenty of freedom in their book choices.
How it works
- Download the card: Adult or Youth
- Explore the categories and choose your books. And, of course, this is where SPL and KCLS come in: They have lots of suggestions for books to match the categories.
- Read and report the titles and authors of completed books in the Bingo boxes that satisfy each requirement (one book per card!). “Winning” can be getting either a bingo or a blackout.
A record 2,700 people in King County turned in Book Bingo cards in 2025, and SPL readers alone reported reading 29,000 books.
How to Submit
Drop off your card (or a copy) at any location of The Seattle Public Library or the King County Library System, or by completing the submission form at www.spl.org/BookBingo or www.kcls.org/BookBingo. Entries must be received by Sept. 8, at 6 p.m.
If you turn in a Summer Book Bingo card with enough squares for bingo (completed in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line) you’ll be entered to win a special Book Bingo prize. If you submit a card with enough squares for blackout (all 24 squares), you’ll be entered to win one of three grand prizes per library system – including a SAL subscription to four free events in the 2026/27 season.
Happy reading!
