by Pexels

Highlighting Non Fiction Writing Awards

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There are many awards all over the world celebrating good non-fiction writing. If you like reading non-fiction in any of its forms (for example: biographies and memoirs; essays; travel writing; history; poetry), the winners and the lists of finalists associated with these awards are a great way to catch up on the latest well-written books on a myriad of subjects.

In New Zealand we have some fantastic awards acknowledging and celebrating our writers.

Ockham NZ Book Awards. As well as Fiction, there are awards for: Poetry (the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry), Illustrated Non-Fiction (the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction) and General Non-Fiction. There are also four awards for first-time authors (The Crystal Arts Trust Best First Book awards) and, at the judges’ discretion, Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a Māori Language Award. The 2023 longlist has recently been announced and can be found here.

Here is a link to the list of past winners. My favourite from 2022 is Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910 by Claire Regnault. This is a richly illustrated book on the social history of New Zealand.

Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement. These awards were established in 2003. Every year New Zealanders are invited to nominate their choice of a New Zealand writer who has made a significant contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of non-fiction, poetry and fiction. The 2022 winners are James Norcliffe for poetry and Vincent O'Malley for non-fiction.

The CLNZ/NZSA Writers' Award at $25,000 is one of the highest non-fiction awards in NZ literature and gives financial support to a NZ writer with work in a broad range of non-fiction genres. The 2022 winner is Iona Winters.

Australia has some excellent non-fiction awards that are worth a look. Australian Book Industry Awards highlight good writing in Australia. Love Stories by Trent Dalton, a moving book about love stories told to the author, was longlisted for the 2022 award for general non-fiction. 

There are some very prestigious British awards - I will highlight just a few.

Baillie Gifford Award for Non Fiction (formerly Samuel Johnson Award) rewards excellence in non-fiction writing, bringing the best in intelligent reflection on the world to new readers. It covers all non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. The 2022 winner is Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell.

Royal Society Science Book Prize has championed outstanding popular science writing for over 30 years. The 2022 winner is A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth by Henry Gee.

CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction celebrates any non-fiction work on a crime-related theme. The 2022 winner is The Disappearance of Lydia Harvey: A True Story of Sex, Crime, and the Meaning of Justice by Julia Laite.

My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Haydenwon both the British Academy Book Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.

 Awards from the USA are also a goldmine for highlighting some great non-fiction:

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction was established in 2012, and recognises the best nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the American Library Association and reflect the expert judgement and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers. Seek You: A Journey through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke is a non fiction graphic novel that was shortlisted for the 2022 award. 

The Pulitzer Prize recognises excellence in journalism and the arts. A Pulitzer Prize winner may be an individual, a group of individuals, or a news organisation's staff. The 2022 winner for General Nonfiction is Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in New York City by Andrea Elliott. The 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is Frank: Sonnets by Diane Seuss. The 2022 Pulitzer Prize for History is Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America by Nicole Eustace.

Financial Times Business Book Prize goes to the book that is judged to have provided the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues. The 2022 winner is Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller.

Each year you will have more gems to choose from, so have fun seeking out these well written, thought-provoking books.