Registration is open for Calgary Public Library’s annual reading challenge  

Thousands of Calgarians are gearing up to participate in Calgary Public Library’s annual reading challenge this summer. Registration for the Ultimate Summer Challenge opens today (May 26) and the challenge kicks off July 1 with one simple task: read every day this summer.  

The Challenge is free summer fun for readers of all ages, encouraging young families, kids, teens, and adults to log their reading every day and participate in activities and programs from July 1 – August 31.   

"The Ultimate Summer Challenge is one of the Library’s largest programs and is a fun and engaging way to build healthy reading habits both as individuals and families,” says Allison Comrie, Librarian and project lead for the Challenge. “When a child sees their family members and friends reading, they are often encouraged to do the same. This shared reading adventure helps instill a lifelong love of reading.” 

The 2025 Challenge is built around growth and imagination. With a clever garden-themed map and book-loving insects popping up throughout all 22 Library locations, participants can get the latest insect or gardening sticker to fill out their Challenge map as their reading progresses through the summer. 

The Ultimate Summer Challenge is also a useful tool to combat summer learning loss, the concept that students lose some of the learning they achieve in school through the lengthy summer break. By creating a daily reading habit, the Challenge can help children continue progressing with their learning and head back to class in September feeling confident and successful.  

“Creating a daily reading habit doesn’t mean you have to sit down for one or two hours a day or focus on the number of pages you’re getting through,” says Comrie. “Participating in the Ultimate Summer Challenge can look like a lot of things — it can be listening to an audiobook on a family road trip or morning commute, reading with friends in a park, or even simply reading through a recipe with your kids while you make dinner.”  

With over 1.35 million items in the Library's physical collections and thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines available with your free Library card, there are plenty of options to keep you going. The Library also hosts a wide-range of virtual and in-person programs throughout the summer to keep brains firing. Settle in for a Family Storytime, improve your art skills from the comfort of your own home with Art Night In, or encourage your teen to participate in the Drop-In Teen Writing Café.  

Registration for the Challenge is free and easy — just visit your local Library or calgarylibrary.ca/summer to sign up on Beanstack and be eligible for prizes. You can track your reading right in the app or on one of our Challenge maps available at all 22 Library locations. Bring your map back to any location each week for a progress sticker.  

Everyone who registers for the Ultimate Summer Challenge is entered to win great prizes. Each age group will have their own set of unique prizes, including Calgary Zoo memberships, game prize packs, a ukelele and Long & McQuade lessons, iPads, AirPods, and a PS5 with disc drive and pack.  

Visit calgarylibrary.ca/summer for more information and to register. For a full list of programs, visit calgarylibrary.ca/programs.