Jump to content

Wainwright Prize

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wainwright Prize
Awarded forWriting on nature, conservation, and the environment
CountryUnited Kingdom
First award2014; 12 years ago (2014)
Websitewainwrightprize.com

The Wainwright Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best works of nature, conservation, and environmental writing. Beginning in 2025 there were six categories: Nature Writing, Conservation Writing, Illustrative Books, Children's Fiction, Children's Non-Fiction, and Children's Picture Books. Each has separate longlists and judging panels. Category winners become eligible to win the overall prizes, the Wainwright Prize Book of the Year and the Wainwright Children's Prize Book of the Year. Nominations are restricted to books published in the UK.[1]

History

[edit]

The prize celebrates the legacy of British guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright. It was established in 2013 by Frances Lincoln Publishers and The Wainwright Society, in association with the National Trust. Originally the prize was sponsored by Thwaites Brewery, who produced a beer called Wainwright Ale[2] and was later sponsored by Marston's Brewery, who took over Thwaites' production of Wainwright Golden Beer, and thus the prize was sometimes referred to as The Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize.[3]

In 2020 the prize was no longer sponsored, but was supported by an anonymous benefactor and was "in association with the National Trust".[1] Also in 2020 the prize was split into the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing and the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation, with separate longlists and judging panels. In 2021 the Kendal papermakers James Cropper plc became the prize's "headline sponsors" in a three-year agreement.[4] From 2022 until 2024, the prizes were known as the James Cropper Wainwright Prizes.[5] A prize for writing for children was introduced in 2022, with the three prizes newly titled the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation and the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation.[6]

In 2024 it was announced that the prize would be seeking new sponsorship.[7] As of July 2025 the prize's partners were: the RSPB, the Wainwright Society, The Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust, Frances Lincoln, World Book Day, National Geographic Kids, and marketing company[8] Agile.[9]

The prize was first awarded in 2014 to Hugh Thomson for his The Green Road into the Trees: A Walk Through England. The winner received a cheque for £5,000. With the introduction of two prizes in 2020 the prize money was shared between the two winners,[1] and in 2022 it was increased to £7,500 to be shared between the three winners.[6] With the prize having been restructured in 2025, the two overall winners received £2,500, while each other category winner received £500, for a total of £7,000 prize money.[10]

Winners and shortlisted titles

[edit]

In the following tables, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the book was first published. Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; those with a pale background are the other nominees on the shortlist.

  *   Winners

2014–2019: One prize

[edit]
Year Author Book Publisher Ref.
2014 Hugh Thomson *The Green Road into the Trees: A Walk Through EnglandWindmill[11]
Simon ArmitageWalking HomeFaber & Faber[12]
Patrick BarkhamBadgerlandsGranta
Charlotte HigginsUnder Another SkyVintage
Robert MacfarlaneThe Old WaysPenguin
Esther WoolfsonField Notes from a Hidden CityGranta
2015 John Lewis-Stempel *MeadowlandPenguin[13]
Richard AskwithRunning Free: A Runner's Journey Back to NatureYellow Jersey[14]
William AtkinsThe MoorFaber & Faber
Mark CockerClaxton: Field Notes from a Small PlanetVintage
Helen MacdonaldH is for HawkVintage
Philip MarsdenRising Ground: A Search for the Spirit of PlaceGranta
2016 Amy Liptrot *The OutrunCanongate[15]
Rob CowenCommon GroundWindmill[16]
Robert MacfarlaneLandmarksPenguin
Michael McCarthyThe Moth SnowstormJohn Murray Press
Katharine NorburyThe Fish LadderBloomsbury
James RebanksThe Shepherd's LifePenguin
2017 John Lewis-Stempel *Where Poppies BlowWeidenfeld and Nicolson[17]
Madeleine BuntingLove of CountryGranta[18]
Simon CooperThe Otters' TaleWilliam Collins
John Lewis-StempelThe Running HareBlack Swan
Stephen MossWild KingdomVintage
Christopher SomervilleThe January Man (book)Black Swan
Clover StroudThe Wild OtherHodder & Stoughton
2018 Adam Nicolson *The Seabird's CryWilliam Collins[19]
Neil AnsellThe Last WildernessHeadline[20]
Alys FowlerHidden NatureHodder & Stoughton
John GrindrodOutskirtsHodder & Stoughton
John Lister-KayeThe Dun Cow RibCanongate
Robert Macfarlane and Jackie MorrisThe Lost WordsHamish Hamilton
Raynor WinnThe Salt PathPenguin
2019 Robert Macfarlane *UnderlandHamish Hamilton[21]
Julia BlackburnTime SongVintage[22]
Juliet BlaxlandThe Easternmost HouseSandstone
Mark CockerOur PlaceVintage
Kate HumbleThinking on My FeetOctopus Books
Isabella TreeWildingPicador
Luke TurnerOut of the WoodsWeidenfeld and Nicolson

2020–2021: Two prizes

[edit]
Year Author Book Publisher Ref.
2020:
Global
Conservation
Benedict Macdonald *Rebirding: Restoring Britain's WildlifePelagic Publishing[23]
Chris GoodallWhat We Need to Do NowProfile Books[24]
Julian HoffmanIrreplaceablePenguin
Helen PilcherLife Changing: How Humans Are Altering Life on EarthBloomsbury Sigma
Jeremy PursegloveWorking With NatureProfile Books
Carolyn SteelSitopia: How Food Can Save the WorldVintage
2020:
UK
Nature
Writing
Dara McAnulty *Diary of a Young NaturalistEbury Press[23]
Lamorna AshDark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing TownBloomsbury[25]
David GangeThe Frayed Atlantic EdgeWilliam Collins
Patrick LaurieNative: Life in a Vanishing LandscapeBirlinn General
Mike ParkerOn the Red HillWindmill
Jini ReddyWanderland: A Search for Magic in the LandscapeBloomsbury Wildlife
Brigit Strawbridge HowardDancing with Bees: A Journey Back to NatureChelsea Green
2021:
Global
Conservation
Merlin Sheldrake *Entangled LifePenguin Random House[26]
David AttenboroughA Life on Our PlanetEbury Press[27]
Cal FlynIslands of AbandonmentWilliam Collins
Rebecca GiggsFathoms: The World in the WhaleScribe Publications
Dieter HelmNet Zero: How We Stop Causing Climate ChangeWilliam Collins
Elizabeth KolbertUnder a White SkyVintage
2021:
UK
Nature
Writing
James Rebanks *English Pastoral: An InheritancePenguin[26]
Charles FosterThe Screaming SkyLittle Toller Books[27]
Charlie GilmourFeatherhoodOrion
Marc HamerSeed to DustVintage
Kerri ní DochartaighThin PlacesCanongate
Anita SethiI Belong HereBloomsbury Wildlife
Raynor WinnThe Wild SilencePenguin

2022–2024: Addition of a children's prize

[edit]
Year Author Book Publisher Ref.
2022:
Nature
Writing
James Aldred *Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any OtherElliott & Thompson[28]
Nicola ChesterOn Gallows Down: Place, Protest and BelongingChelsea Green[6]
Matthew GreenShadowlands: A Journey Through Lost BritainFaber & Faber
Amy LiptrotThe InstantCanongate
Anna FlemingTime on Rock: A Climber's Route into the MountainsCanongate
Thomas HallidayOtherlands: A World in the MakingAllen Lane
2022:
Writing on
Conservation
Dan Saladino *Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save ThemJonathan Cape[28]
Alice BellOur Biggest Experiment: A History of the Climate CrisisBloomsbury Sigma[6]
Dave GoulsonSilent Earth: Averting the Insect ApocalypseVintage
Oliver MilmanThe Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the WorldAtlantic Books
George MonbiotRegenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the PlanetAllen Lane
Ben RawlenceThe Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on EarthJonathan Cape
Lee SchofieldWild Fell: Fighting for Nature on a Lake District Hill FarmDoubleday
2022: Children's
Writing on
Nature and
Conservation
Rob Sears
Illustrated by Tom Sears *
The Biggest Footprint: Eight Billion Humans. One Clumsy GiantCanongate[28]
Katya BalenOctober, OctoberBloomsbury Children's Books[6]
Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Jenni Desmond
One World: 24 Hours on Planet EarthWalker Books
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Illustrated by Tom de Freston
Julia and the SharkOrion Children's Books
Melissa Harrison
Illustrated by Angela Harding
By Rowan and YewChicken House
Ben Lerwill
Illustrated by Kaja Kajfež
Around the World in 80 TreesWelbeck
Dara McAnulty
Illustrated by Barry Falls
Wild Child: A Journey Through NatureMacmillan Children's Books
2023:
Nature
Writing
Amy-Jane Beer *The Flow: Rivers, Water and WildnessBloomsbury[29]
Elizabeth-Jane BurnettTwelve Words for MossAllen Lane[30]
Stephen MossTen Birds That Changed the WorldFaber
Dorthe Nors
Translated by Caroline Waight
A Line in the World: A Year on the North Sea CoastPushkin
Katherine Rundell
Illustrated by Talya Baldwin
The Golden Mole: And Other Living TreasureFaber
Amanda ThomsonBelonging: Natural Histories of Place, Identity and HomeCanongate
2023:
Writing on
Conservation
Guy Shrubsole *The Lost Rainforests of BritainWilliam Collins[29]
Keggie CarewBeastly: A New History of Animals and UsCanongate[30]
Charles CloverRewilding the Sea: How to Save Our OceansEbury
Sarah LangfordRooted: How Regenerative Farming Can Change the WorldViking
Fiona Mathews and Tim KendallBlack Ops and Beaver Bombing: Adventures with Britain's Wild MammalsOneworld
Gaia VinceNomad Century: How to Survive the Climate UpheavalAllen Lane
2023: Children's
Writing on
Nature and
Conservation
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Illustrated by Tom de Freston *
Leila and the Blue FoxChicken House[29]
Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Emily Sutton
Protecting the Planet: The Season of GiraffesWalker Books[30]
Olaf FalafelBlobfishWalker Books
M. G. LeonardSparkWalker Books
Dara McAnulty
Illustrated by Barry Falls
A Wild Child's Book of BirdsMacmillan Children's Books
Anna Wilson
Illustrated by Sarah Massini
Grandpa and the KingfisherNosy Crow
2024:
Nature
Writing
Michael Malay *Late Light: The Secret Wonders of a Disappearing WorldManila Press, Bonnier Books[31]
Marchelle FarrellUprooting: From the Caribbean to the CountrysideCanongate[32]
Kat HillBothy: In Search of Simple ShelterWilliam Collins
Alastair HumphreysLocal: A Search for Nearby Nature and WildnessFaber
Jessica J. LeeDispersals: On Plants, Borders and BelongingHamish Hamilton
Olivia LaingThe Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common ParadisePicador
Rebecca SmithRural: The Lives of the Working Class CountrysideWilliam Collins
2024:
Writing on
Conservation
Helen Czerski *Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our WorldTorva, Transworld[31]
Oliver Franklin-WallisWasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It MattersSimon & Schuster[32]
Chantal LyonsGroundbreakers: The Return of Britain's Wild BoarBloomsbury Wildlife
Tori TsuiIt's Not Just You: How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate CrisisSimon & Schuster, Gallery Books
John VaillantFire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter WorldSceptre, Hodder & Stoughton
Sophie YeoNature's Ghosts: The World We Lost and How to Bring it BackHarperNorth/ HarperCollins
2024:
Children's
Writing on
Nature and
Conservation
Katya Balen *FoxlightBloomsbury Children's[31]
Giselle ClarksonThe ObservologistGecko Press[32]
Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano
GlobalHodder Children's Books
Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Jackie Morris
SkrimsliFirefly Press
David Lindo
Illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows
Fly: A Child's Guide to Birds and Where to Spot ThemMagic Cat Publishing
Kiran Millwood HargraveGeomancer: In the Shadow of the Wolf QueenOrion Children's Books
Katherine RundellImpossible CreaturesBloomsbury Children's
Isabella Tree
Illustrated by Angela Harding
Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife BackMacmillan Children's Books

2025–: Six prize categories

[edit]

In 2025, the Wainwright Prize was restructured to award books across six categories, each falling under one of two overall Prizes: the Wainwright Prize Book of the Year and the Wainwright Children's Prize Book of the Year. Only winners in individual categories are eligible to win the overall Prizes. In the following table, a blue background indicates a category winner, a green background indicates an overall winner and a pale background indicates a shortlisted nominee.

Submissions for the 2025 prizes closed on 6 March 2025. The longlists were announced in July 2025; the shortlists were announced on 5 August[10][33] and the winners were announced on 10 September.[34]

The 2026 prize uses the same six categories. Submissions closed on 27 February 2026. The longlist is expected to be announced on 8 July, the shortlist on 5 August, and the winners on 10 September.[35]

  *   Category winners      Overall winners

Year Author Book Publisher Ref.
2025:
Nature
Writing
Chloe Dalton Raising HareCanongate[36]
Jason Allen-PaisantThe Possibility of TendernessHutchinson Heinemann[37]
Yuvan AvesIntertidalBonnier Books
Merlin Hanbury-TenisonOur Oaken BonesWitness Books
Paul LambOf Thorn & BriarSimon & Schuster
Richard MabeyThe Accidental GardenProfile Books
Callum RobinsonIngrainedPenguin
2025:
Conservation
Writing
Guy Shrubsole *The Lie of the LandWilliam Collins[36]
David FarrierNature's GeniusCanongate[37]
Robert MacfarlaneIs a River Alive?Hamish Hamilton
Alice MahRed PocketsAllen Lane
Friederike Otto
Translared by Sarah Pybus
Climate InjusticeGreystone Books
Sophy RobertsA Training School for ElephantsDoubleday
Helen ScalesWhat the Wild Sea Can BeAtlantic Books
2025:
Illustrative
Books
George Steinmetz, Joel K. Bourne Jr. and Michael Pollan *Feed the PlanetAbrams[36]
John McEwen
Illustrated by Carry Akroyd
Swoop Sing Perch PaddleBloomsbury Wildlife[37]
Melissa Harrison
Illustrated by Amanda Dilworth
HomecomingWeidenfeld & Nicolson
Peter KuperInsectopolisW. W. Norton & Company
Quintin LakeThe PerimeterHutchinson Heinemann, Penguin
Richard ShimellTrees in WinterSphere
2025:
The Children's
Wainwright
Prize for
Fiction
Brogen Murphy *WildlandsPuffin Books[36]
Katya BalenGhostlinesBloomsbury Children's[38]
Hannah Gold
Illustrated by Levi Pinfold
Turtle MoonHarperCollins
Julia Green
Illustrated by Pam Smy
Ettie and the Midnight PoolDavid Fickling Books
Kengo KurimotoWildfulPushkin Children's Books
Lui Sit
Illustrated by David Dean
Land of the Last WildcatMacmillan Children's Books
2025:
The Children's
Wainwright
Prize for
Non-Fiction
Ben Hoare
Illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti *
University of Cambridge: Think Big: Secrets of BeesNosy Crow[36]
Moira Butterfield
Illustrated by Jesús Verona
National Trust: Look What I Found by the RiverNosy Crow[38]
Jules Howard
Illustrated by Gavin Scott
MEGANosy Crow
Gavin Pretor-Pinney
Illustrated by William Grill
Cloudspotting for BeginnersParticular Books
Sharon Wismer
Illustrated by Terri Po
Wildlife in the BalancesFlying Eye Books
Hamza Yassin
Illustrated by Louise Forshaw
Hamza’s Wild WorldMacmillan Children's Books
2025:
The Children's
Wainwright
Prize for
Picture Books
Lanisha Butterfield
Illustrated by Hoang Giang 
Flower BlockPuffin Books[36]
Emily GravettBothered By BugsToo Hoots[38]
Stephen HogtunHERDBloomsbury Children's Books
Robert Macfarlane and Johnny Flynn
Illustrated by Emily Sutton
The World to ComeMagic Cat Publishing
Isabel Thomas
Illustrated by Daniel Egnéus
FrogBloomsbury Children's Books
Benjamin Zephaniah
Illustrated by Melissa Castrillon
Leave the Trees, PleaseMagic Cat Publishing
Yuval ZommerThe WildOxford University Press

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Submissions for the 2020 Awards". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. "The prize celebrates the legacy of British nature writer Alfred Wainwright". Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  3. "Home page". The Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. "Sponsors & Partners". Wainwright Prize. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  5. "Wainwright Prize Sponsorship". James Cropper. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "James Cropper Wainwright Prize 2022 shortlists announced". Wainwright Prize. James Cropper plc. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  7. Kemp-Habib, Alice (2 April 2024). "Wainwright Prize to part ways with headline sponsor". The Bookseller. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  8. "About Us - 2023". Agile Ideas. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
    "The Wainwright Prize". Agile Ideas. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  9. "Partners". Wainwright Prize. Archived from the original on 18 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  10. 1 2 "2025 Shortlists Announced". Wainwright Prize. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  11. Farrington, Joshua (8 May 2014). "Thomson wins inaugural Thwaites Wainwright Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  12. "Shortlist 2014". The Wainwright Prize. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  13. "New Literary Prize for Nature & Travel Writing about Britain Launched". thebookseller.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  14. "Shortlist 2015". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  15. "The Outrun by Amy Liptrot wins The Wainwright Golden Beer Prize 2016". wainwrightprize.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  16. "Shortlist 2016". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  17. Flood, Alison (3 August 2017). "Wainwright prize for nature writing won by 'extraordinary book' on first world war". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  18. "Shortlist 2017". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  19. "Adam Nicolson Wins the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize 2018". The Wainwright Prize. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  20. "Shortlist 2018". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  21. "Robert Macfarlane Wins The 2019 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize". The Wainwright Prize. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  22. "Shortlist 2019". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  23. 1 2 "Winners of Wainwright Prize 2020 Announced". The Wainwright Prize. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  24. "2020 Writing on Global Conservation shortlist". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  25. "2020 UK Nature Writing shortlist". The Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  26. 1 2 Flood, Alison (7 September 2021). "Wainwright prize for nature writing goes to James Rebanks for English Pastoral". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  27. 1 2 "2021 Shortlist Announcement". The Wainwright Prize. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 "The James Cropper Wainwright Prize Winners 2022". Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  29. 1 2 3 "10th James Cropper Wainwright Prize Announces Winner as Wild Places, Remarkable Habitats and Passionate Advocacy for our Planer are Celebrated". Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 "10th Anniversary Shortlist for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize Announced". Wainwright Prize. James Cropper plc. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  31. 1 2 3 "2024 WINNERS ANNOUNCED". Wainwright Prize. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  32. 1 2 3 "The 2024 Wainwright Prize Shortlists Announcement". Wainwright Prize. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  33. Snow, Maia (5 August 2025). "Wainwright Prize shortlists feature Robert Macfarlane, Chloe Dalton and more". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  34. "Longlists and Judging Panels Announced for 2025 Wainwright Prizes". Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  35. "Submissions". Wainwright Prize. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The 2025 Wainwright Prize Winners". Wainwright Prize. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  37. 1 2 3 "2025 Shortlists Announced". Wainwright Prize. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  38. 1 2 3 "Yuval Zommer, Katya Balen and Benjamin Zephaniah shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize 2025". Books for Keeps. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
[edit]