First launched in 1990 and now run by The Bookseller, the British Book Awards seek to showcase and celebrate the best books, the best bookshops and the best publishers.
Nicknamed The Nibbies, they are unique in recognising that a book’s success is not down to just one factor. It is the author’s creative genius, it is the publisher’s skill and support and it is the bookshop’s championing. The Nibbies’ Books of the Year are unapologetically about success but not ‘just’ who is top of the bestseller lists.
There are categories for bookshops, publishers and agents as well as:
Book of the Year – Audiobook; Book of the Year – Children’s: Fiction; Book of the Year – Children’s: Illustrated & Non-Fiction; Book of the Year – Fiction; Book of the Year – Fiction: Crime & Thriller; Book of the Year – Fiction: Début; Book of the Year – Non-fiction: Lifestyle; Book of the Year – Non-fiction: Narrative; Author of the Year; Illustrator of the Year
https://www.thebookseller.com/british-book-awards
Winner- Children’s Non-Fiction and Overall Book of the Year You Are a Champion: How to Be the Best You Can Be by Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka. ISBN: 978-1529068177 (Macmillan) The nation’s favourite footballer’s inspirational guide to life is packed with practical advice that he wished he could have had as a child. Conversational enough for the reluctant reader, but actually packed full of top-flight sports psychology and wry wisdom. The judges loved You Are a Champion’s “warm, inspirational” tone, combined with Rashford’s accessible definition of success.. | ![]() |
Winner-Children’s: Fiction When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle. ISBN: 978-1783449651 (Andersen) Also winner of the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Children’s Fiction, Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and The Times Children’s Book of the Year 2021. A stunning and emotional story set in WW2 with themes of bereavement, dyslexia, impact of war, love, friendship and family.
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Winner-Children’s: Illustrated Hey You!: An empowering celebration of growing up Black . Dapo Adeola et al This groundbreaking picture book, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and shows how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem. The clever and witty illustrations are by 18 of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today. The judges felt Hey You!’s “innovative, emotional” philosophy went beyond the page, inspiring creativity in a stream of new artists. As one judge commented: “This book is the start of a movement.”
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