The shortlist for the 2024 Wainwright Prize has been announced. Celebrating the brilliance in nature and conservation writing and publishing as well as highlighting the ever-present and ever-growing conversation about our environment, in line with the values of the prize's namesake Alfred Wainwright. While confronting the realities of the crisis our world is in, highlighting issues from wildfires to the global waste industry, the books that appear in the shortlist offer solutions to fight environmental destruction as well as encouraging peace and connection in the pockets of nature we have access to on our doorsteps. 

The prize was founded by the Alfred Wainwright Estate & Frances Lincoln, who both still support the prize today. Frances Lincoln is the publisher of the Wainwright Guides, pictorial guides to the Lake District which are revised to include up to date maps, diagrams and route descriptions. The £7,500 prize fund will be shared and presented to the authors of the three winning books.

The three different categories - Nature Writing, Writing on Conservation, Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation put forward a combined total of 35 books in this year's longlist. The judges for each category then had the unenviable task of narrowing this down to just 21 titles for the shortlist. 

This is the second year that women have dominated the shortlist, with 15 of the 21 shortlisted authors being female. There's also strong representation of debut authors in both the Nature and Conservation categories. 4 out of the 6 Conservation shortlist titles were written by debut authors. In the Nature category we see all of this year's shortlisted titles featuring a personal narrative alongside elements of natural history, historic insight and science writing. 

The Children's category shortlist includes a variety of children's fiction and non-fiction including the very first graphic novel to be shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize in Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin's Global, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano. 

Enough waiting for the grass to grow, take a look at the 2024 Wainwright Prize shortlists here as well as the beautiful imagery created by talented artist Emily Wainwright:

The 2024 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing Shortlist

 

Uprooting: From the Caribbean to the Countryside – Finding Home in an English Country Garden by Marchelle Farrell

Bothy: In Search of Simple Shelter by Kat Hill 

Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness by Alastair Humphreys 

Dispersals: On Plants, Borders and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee 

The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise by Olivia Laing 

Late Light: The Secret Wonders of a Disappearing World by Michael Malay 

Rural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside by Rebecca Smith

On the shortlist, Lee Schofield, Judge for the Nature Writing Prize says:

"This year's Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing Shortlist is nothing less than extraordinary. The shortlisted authors bring uniquely diverse perspectives, exploring our relationship with the non- human world in genuinely breathtaking ways."

The 2024 Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation Shortlist

Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World by Helen Czerski 

Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters by Oliver Franklin-Wallis 

Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain’s Wild Boar by Chantal Lyons  

It’s Not Just You: How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate Crisis by Tori Tsui 

Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World by John Vaillant

Nature’s Ghosts: The World We Lost and How to Bring it Back by Sophie Yeo

On the shortlist, Mark Funnell, Judge for the Writing for Conservation Prize says:

“Any one of these books would be a worthy winner. Not only do they speak to some of the most pressing crises facing humanity today, but they also pack a real punch – white-knuckle page turners, deeply affecting testimonies, excoriating exposes. Buckle up.”

The 2024 Wainwright Prize for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation Shortlist

Foxlight by Katya Balen

The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions by Giselle Clarkson

Global: A Graphic Novel Adventure About Hope in the Face of Climate Change by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano 

Skrimsli by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Jackie Morris 

Fly by David Lindo, Illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows 

Geomancer: In The Shadow of the Wolf Queen by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back - An Illustrated Guide by Isabella Tree, Illustrated by Angela Harding

On the shortlist, Uju Asika, Judge for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation Prize, says:

“Each one of these shortlisted books stood out for its literary excellence, offering something unique in terms of writing voice, art style, unforgettable characters, danger, and humour. Each one evokes nature at its wildest and most wondrous and made me feel like (or want to be) a better human being for having read it.”

The winners of this year's Wainwright Prize will be announced on the 11th September at a ceremony at Camley Street Natural Park in London.

To find out more about the Wainwright Prize head to wainwrightprize.com

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