The 2025 Wainwright Prize Shortlists are Announced Celebrating Brilliant Nature and Conservation Writing

The Wainwright Prize, a celebration of nature and conservation writing, today announces its 2025 shortlists.

What are the Wainwright Prizes?

The Wainwright Prize showcases writing that reflects its namesake Alfred Wainwright’s values of celebrating nature and our environment, nurturing respect for our planet, and informing readers of the threats that the earth currently faces.

Publishers Frances Lincoln, in association with the National Trust, launched The Wainwright Prize for UK Nature and Travel Writing in November 2013. The Prize aims to reward outstanding titles inspired by the general outdoors, nature and travel.

This year marks a bold new chapter, with three new categories reflecting the evolving landscape of environmental storytelling – particularly in how it reaches and inspires younger audiences.

Following the prizes recent expansion, The Adult’s Wainwright Prize includes the Prize for Nature Writing, the Prize for Conservation Writing and the Prize for Illustrative Books. The Children’s Wainwright Prize includes the Prize for Fiction, the Prize for Non-Fiction and the Prize for Picture Books.

Prize winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday 10th September 2025 at FarmED in Oxford.

What are the highlights of the 2025 Shortlists?

Robert Macfarlane sets a record with the most Wainwright Prize nominations by any author since the prize began, with a further two books shortlisted this year: Is A River Alive? in the Adult Conservation category, and The World to Come in the Children’s Picture Book category. This marks his fifth and sixth nominations; he previously won in 2019 for Underland.

For the first time in The Wainwright Prize history, a posthumous author has been shortlisted: the late Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah’s Leave the Trees, Please, illustrated by Melissa Castrillon, is nominated in the Picture Books category.

A thread of climate hopefulness runs through many of the shortlisted books, highlighting actionable ways humans can protect and restore the environment. There is also a shift toward viewing nature as a sentient entity, reflecting the growing Rights of Nature (RON) movement.

Of this year’s shortlist, Alastair Giles, The Wainwright Prize Director, says: “As The Wainwright Prize enters its second decade, the need to celebrate the best in nature and conservation writing has only grown stronger. While the challenges facing our planet have never been more urgent, we’ve also seen an inspiring surge of enthusiasm from readers. The Prize aims to continue motivating people to reconnect with the environment, both physically and intellectually. With this year’s expansion to six categories, we’re especially excited to reflect the evolving landscape of environmental storytelling and champion work that engages younger generations in the care and protection of the natural world. We’re eager to see which books from our 2025 shortlist will resonate with readers and inspire action.”