Costa Prize Shortlist Announced

The Costa Book Awards shortlist for 2010 was announced last night. Split into five categories, this year’s biography category has gained some attention as only three books have been nominated despite the rules stating that up to four books could be nominated. The Costa Award, which started life as the Whitbread Literary Award in 1971, is a UK based prize which is almost unique in that it gives the chance for children’s books to be judged alongside their adult contemporaries. Notably, there is no overlapping to be found this year with the Booker Prize shortlist, an occurance which has often happened in the past.

There’s still quite a wait until the category and overall winners are announced in January next year and the final judging panel will not be made public until mid December.  A full shortlist of this year’s category judges and nominations can be found below:

Novel

Judges: Adele Parks (Author), Alex Heminsley (Author, Journalist and Broadcaster), Johnathan Ruppin (Foyles Bookshop)

• Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty
• The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale
• The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
• Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

First Novel

Judges:Anita Rani (Television Presenter), Anneka Rice (Broadcaster), Mark Thornton (co owner of Mostly Books in Abingdon)

• Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
• Coconut Unlimited by Nikesh Shukla
• The Temple-Goers by Aatish Taseer

Biography

Judges:Andrew Holgate (Literary Editor for the Sunday Times), Caroline Moorehead MBE (Biographer and Writer), Juliet Nicholson (Writer)

  

• How to Live A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell
• My Father's Fortune by Michael Frayn
• The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

Poetry

Judges:Leonie Rushworth (Poet, Reviewer and Educator), Ruth Padel (Poet), Tim Dee (Radio Producer and Writer)

•  Standard Midland by Roy Fisher
• The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson
• Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott
• New Light for the Old Dark by Sam Willetts

Children’s Books

Judges: Lorraine Kelly (Broadcaster), Tamara Macfarlane (Owner of Tales on Moon lane Children’s Bookshop), Tim Bowler (Author)

• Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
• Annexed by Sharon Dogar
• Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
• Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace 

More information about this year's selections and previous year's winners can be found ont he Costa website,
http://www.costabookawards.co.uk/index.aspx