COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

Formerly the Whitbread Awards established in 1972, Costa assumed sponsorship of this book award in 2006.  The Book of the Year selects the top book from the winners of the five Costa award categories, and is announced in January or February for the previous year.

Go to Costa Awards website

2008 Barry, Sebastian - The Secret Scripture
2007 Kennedy, A.L. - Day

2006 Penney, Stef - The Tenderness of Wolves

2005 Spurling, Hilary - Matisse the Master : a life of Henri Matisse, [volume two] : the conquest of colout, 1909-1954 (biography winner)

2004 Levy, Andrea - Small Island

2003 Haddon, Mark - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
2002 Tomalin, Claire - Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (biography winner)

2001 Pullman, Philip - The Amber Spyglass (children's winner)
2000 Kneales, Matthew - English Passengers
1999 Heaney, Seamus - Beowulf (poetry winner)
1998 Hughes, Ted - Birthday Letters (poetry winner)
1997 Hughes, Ted - Tales of Ovid (poetry winner)
1996 Heaney, Seamus - The Spirit Level (poetry winner)
1995 Atkinson, Kate - Behind the Scenes at the Museum
1994 Trevor, William - Felicia's Journey
1993 Brady, Joan - Theory of War
1992 Torrington, Jeff -Swing Hammer Swing! 1990 Mosley, Nicholas - Hopeful Monsters
1988 Sayer, Paul - The Comfort of Madness
1986 Ishiguro, Kazuo - An Artist of the Floating World

COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD

Formerly the Whitbread Awards established in 1972, Costa assumed sponsorship of this book award in 2006.  The Costa judges honour well-written, enjoyable books that they would strongly recommend anyone to read.  Authors must be based in the UK or Ireland, and winners are announced in January for the previous year.

Go to Costa Awards website

2008 Jones, Sadie - The Outcast
Also nominated:

Adams, Poppy - The Behaviour of Moths [Canadian title: The Sister]

Smith, Tom Rob - Child 44

Rooney, Jennie - Inside the Whale

2007 Catherine O'Flynn - What Was Lost

2006 Penney, Stef - The Tenderness of Wolves

2005 Aw, Tash - The Harmony Silk Factory

2004 Fletcher, Susan - Eve Green

2003 Pierre, DBC - Vernon God Little

2002 Lebrecht, Norman - The Song of Names

2001 Smith, Sid - Something Like a House

2000 Smith, Zadie - White Teeth

1999 Lott, Tim - Windy City Blue
1998 Foden, Giles - The Last King of Scotland
1997 Melville, Pauline - The Ventriloquist's Tale
1996 Lanchester, John - A Debt to Pleasure
1995 Atkinson, Kate - Behind the Scenes at the Museum
1994 D'Aguiar, Fred - The Longest Memory
1993 Cusk, Rachel - Saving Agnes
1992 Torrington, Jeff - Swing Hammer Swing!
1991 Burn, Gordon - Alma Cogan
1990 Kureishi, Hanif - The Buddah of Suburbia
1989 Hamilton-Paterson, James - Gerontius
1988 Sayer, Paul - The Comforts of Madness
1987 Wyndham, Francis - The Other Garden
1986 Crace, Jim - Continent
1985 Winterson, Jeanette - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

COSTA NOVEL AWARD

Formerly the Whitbread Awards established in 1972, Costa assumed sponsorship of this book award in 2006.  The Costa judges honour well-written, enjoyable books that they would strongly recommend anyone to read.  Authors must be based in the UK or Ireland, and winners are announced in January for the previous year.

Go to Costa Awards website

2008 Barry, Sebastian - The Secret Scripture
Also nominated:

Cleave, Chris - The Other Hand [US title: Little Bee]

de Bernieres, Louis - A Partisan's Daughter

McGrath, Patrick - Trauma

2007 Kennedy, A.L. - Day

2006 Boyd, William - Restless

2005 Smith, Ali - The Accidental

2004 Levy, Andrea - Small Island

2003 Haddon, Mark - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2002 Frayn, Michael - Spies

2001 Neale, Patrick - Twelve Bar Blues

2000 Kneale, Matthew - English Passengers

1999 Tremain, Rose - Music and Silence
1998 Cartwright, Justin - Leading the Cheers
1997 Crace, Jim - Quarantine
1996 Bainbridge, Beryl - Every Man for Himself
1995 Rushdie, Salman - The Moor's Last Sigh
1994 Trevor, William - Felicia's Journey
1993 Brady, Joan - Theory of War
1992 Gray, Alasdair - Poor Things
1991 Gardam, Jane - The Queen of the Tambourine
1990 Mosley, Nicholas - Hopeful Monsters
1989 Clarke, Lindsay - The Chymical Wedding
1988 Rushdie, Salman - The Satanic Verses
1987 McEwan, Ian - The Child in Time
1986 Ishiguro, Kazuo - An Artist of the Floating World
1985 Ackroyd, Peter - Hawksmoor

updated February 19, 2009