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Costa Book Awards

Annual literary award for English books by writers residing in the UK and Ireland (1971–2021). Formerly known as Whitbread Book Awards. Costa Short Story Award established in 2012, discontinued in 2022.

NovelFirst novelChildren's bookPoetryBiographyShort story

Established: 1971
Organizer: Costa Coffee (formerly sponsored by Whitbread)
Category: Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Newcomer
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around January
Status: Active

Description

Costa Book Awards (formerly Whitbread Book Awards) was established in 1971 as an annual literary prize for English-language works by writers residing in the UK and Ireland. It operated as Whitbread Book Awards from 1971–2005 and was renamed Costa Book Awards from 2006 under Costa Coffee sponsorship. The award was divided into five categories: novel, first novel, children's book, poetry, and biography (short story added later). After selecting category winners, 'Book of the Year' was chosen from them. It is known for valuing both literary merit and readability/entertainment. The short story award (established 2012) combined anonymous judging with public voting. The award was discontinued in 2022, with 2021 being the final ceremony.

Prize

Main Prize: Prize money for each category winner
Cash Prize: 5,000 GBP

Short Story Award (Costa Short Story Award): 1st £3,500, 2nd £1,000, 3rd £500
There were years when a publisher fee (reported example: £5,000) was required for shortlist inclusion
Book of the Year, selected from category winners, receives additional recognition and attention (no specific additional prize amount mentioned)

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Submission (Entry)	Entries by publishers etc. (submissions usually via publishers)	Unknown	Organizer handles submission acceptance (no specific deadlines noted in public documents)
Shortlisting	Judging panels per category (formed annually)	Unknown	Shortlist announced by organizer (often late year to early next year)
Category winners determination	Category judging panels conduct final selection and decide winners	Unknown	Category winners usually announced in January
Book of the Year selection (Overall/Costa Book of the Year)	Judges select the best work from category winners	Unknown	Book of the Year announced around the same time as category winners (usually January)
Costa Short Story Award process (Short Story Award)	Panel anonymously selects 6 works for shortlist (unpublished works handled anonymously)	1 work selected from shortlist of 6 by public vote	After shortlist publication, winner determined by public vote and announced

Submission (Entry)

Judges Entries by publishers etc. (submissions usually via publishers)

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Organizer handles submission acceptance (no specific deadlines noted in public documents)

Shortlisting

Judges Judging panels per category (formed annually)

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Shortlist announced by organizer (often late year to early next year)

Category winners determination

Judges Category judging panels conduct final selection and decide winners

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Category winners usually announced in January

Book of the Year selection (Overall/Costa Book of the Year)

Judges Judges select the best work from category winners

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Book of the Year announced around the same time as category winners (usually January)

Costa Short Story Award process (Short Story Award)

Judges Panel anonymously selects 6 works for shortlist (unpublished works handled anonymously)

Pass Rate 1 work selected from shortlist of 6 by public vote

Announcement After shortlist publication, winner determined by public vote and announced

Criteria

Literary merit (style, depth and originality of theme)
Readability and entertainment value (appeal to a wide audience)
Category suitability (matches the entered category)
Eligibility requirements (written in English, author residing in UK or Ireland)
Quality of publication and editing

Application Tips

Dos

Confirm eligibility requirements in advance (written in English, author residing in UK or Ireland)
Submit through publisher in the appropriate category
For short story award, follow anonymity rules (anonymous submission for unpublished works)
Check with publisher for any shortlist inclusion or submission fees

Don''ts

Do not submit works that do not meet eligibility (language, residency requirements, etc.)
Do not include author name or information that compromises anonymity in short story award
Do not send manuscripts with insufficient proofreading or editing

From Judges

Judging emphasizes both literary merit and reader appeal (readability)
Short story award judged anonymously, with winner sometimes decided by public vote
Category suitability and publication quality (editing, binding, etc.) are also evaluated