The Nero Book Awards are British literary awards, inaugurated in 2023.[1] They are run by coffeehouse chain Caffè Nero in partnership with the Booksellers' Association, Brunel University London and Right To Dream, "a football community dedicated to expanding people's understanding of excellence through football".[2][3]
| The Nero Book Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | the book you would most want to press into the hands of friends and family |
| Sponsored by | Caffè Nero |
| Reward(s) | £30,000 |
| First awarded | 2024 |
| Last awarded | Active |
| Website | nerobookawards |
The awards are made in four categories: children's fiction, fiction, debut fiction, and non-fiction. A short list of four is drawn up for each category, and category winners are chosen, receiving £5,000. There is then a further selection process before one of the category winners is awarded the £30,000 "Golden Nero" award as "Book of the year". The awards are open to books published in the UK and Ireland, and at the time of entry the author must be alive and have been resident in the UK or Ireland for three years. The criteria for the awards are described as: "Our judges will be asked to choose the books they would most want to press into the hands of friends and family for their quality and readability."[3]
Timeline
editFor the 2023 awards, announced in 2024 for books published predominantly in 2023, the timeline was:[4]
- 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023: Publication date for eligible books[5]
- 19 June 2023 - 21 July 2023: Submission of entries[5]
- 21 November 2023: Shortlists announced[6]
- 30 January 2024: Category winners announced[7]
- 14 March 2024: Golden Nero overall winner announced[8]
A similar pattern of eligibility and submission dates has been announced for the 2024 awards.[9]
Shortlists and winners
editOverall winner for each year show in boldface. Category winners indicated by highlighted row.
| Year | Author | Title | Publisher | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Paul Murray | The Bee Sting | Hamish Hamilton | Overall winner Fiction category winner |
[8][10] |
| Eleanor Catton | Birnam Wood | Granta | Fiction shortlist | [6] | |
| Megan Nolan | Ordinary Human Failings | Jonathan Cape | |||
| Karen Powell | Fifteen Wild Decembers | Europa | |||
| Michael Magee | Close to Home | Debut fiction category winner | [11] | ||
| Stephen Buoro | The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa | Bloomsbury | Debut fiction shortlist | [6] | |
| Tom Crewe | The New Life | Chatto & Windus | |||
| Chloe Michelle Howarth | Sunburn | Verve | |||
| Beth Lincoln | The Swifts | Puffin | Children's fiction category winner | [11] | |
| Lex Croucher | Gwen and Art Are Not in Love | Bloomsbury | Children's fiction shortlist | [6] | |
| Kat Dunn | Bitterthorn | Andersen Press | |||
| Candy Gourlay | Wild Song | David Fickling | |||
| Fern Brady | Strong Female Character | Brazen | Non-fiction category winner | [11] | |
| Freya Bromley | The Tidal Year | Coronet | Non-fiction shortlist | [6] | |
| Natasha Carthew | Undercurrent | Coronet | |||
| Victoria Smith | Hags | Fleet |
References
edit- ^ Shaffi, Sarah (22 May 2023). "Caffè Nero launches major book awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Home page". Right To Dream. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b "About". Nero Book Awards. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Key Dates". Nero Book Awards. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Nero Book Awards 2023 Terms and Conditions of Entry" (PDF). Nero Book Awards. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Creamer, Ella (21 November 2023). "Paul Murray and Fern Brady shortlisted for inaugural Nero awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Booksellers Association - Nero Book Awards Announce Category Winners". The Booksellers Association of the United Kingdom & Ireland Limited. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Paul Murray's The Bee Sting wins inaugural Nero Gold Prize book award". BBC News. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Nero Book Awards 2024 Terms and Conditions of Entry" (PDF). Nero Book Awards. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Creamer, Ella (14 March 2024). "Paul Murray's The Bee Sting wins inaugural Nero book of the year prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Creamer, Ella (30 January 2024). "Paul Murray and Fern Brady win inaugural Nero book awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2024.