Fiction & non-fiction · UK & Ireland
The Costa Book of the Year
The Costa Book of the Year was selected from five category winners each year and was one of the UK's most beloved literary prizes, running from 1971 (as the Whitbread Award) until 2021. It uniquely allowed poetry and memoir to compete against fiction for the top prize.
Unlike prizes restricted to fiction, the Costa Book of the Year could go to any category — novel, poetry, biography, or children's book. Poetry collections won the overall prize in 2009 and 2010, an unusually generous recognition of verse.
The award began as the Whitbread Literary Award in 1971 and was renamed when Costa Coffee assumed sponsorship in 2006. It was discontinued in early 2022 without explanation, making 2021's The Kids by Hannah Lowe its final winner.
Winners
- 2000 English Passengers Matthew Kneale Find on Amazon →
- 2001 The Amber Spyglass Philip Pullman · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2002 Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self Claire Tomalin Find on Amazon →
- 2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2004 Small Island Andrea Levy · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2005 Matisse the Master Hilary Spurling
- 2006 The Tenderness of Wolves Stef Penney
- 2007 Day A.L. Kennedy
- 2008 The Secret Scripture Sebastian Barry · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2009 A Scattering Christopher Reid
- 2010 Of Mutability Jo Shapcott
- 2011 Pure Andrew Miller · more by this author
- 2012 Bring Up the Bodies Hilary Mantel · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2013 The Shock of the Fall Nathan Filer
- 2014 H Is for Hawk Helen Macdonald · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2015 The Lie Tree Frances Hardinge
- 2016 Days Without End Sebastian Barry · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2017 Inside the Wave Helen Dunmore
- 2018 The Cut Out Girl Bart van Es
- 2019 The Volunteer Jack Fairweather · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2020 The Mermaid of Black Conch Monique Roffey · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2021 The Kids Hannah Lowe
Years are publication years; the award was presented the following January. The prize ran 1971–2021.
Winners verified against the prize's official records. For the complete history, see the official The Costa Book of the Year site.
Common questions
What was the Costa Book of the Year?
An annual UK prize selecting one overall winner from five category winners — Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book. Any category could win, making it unusual among major literary prizes.
Who were notable Costa Book of the Year winners?
Philip Pullman, Hilary Mantel (twice — Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies), Helen Macdonald, Frances Hardinge, and Sebastian Barry (twice) are among the most celebrated winners.