The winners of the 2024 Wainwright Prize were announced today at Camley Street Natural Park, an urban nature reserve in the heart of London, with the event livestreamed by The Wildlife Trusts.
The Wainwright Prize is awarded annually to books which most successfully inspire readers to embrace nature and the outdoors and develop a respect for the environment. This year’s winning books highlight the exploration of nature on a global scale through journeys of migration, finding beauty in the everyday, and celebrate the deep connections between humanity and nature through powerful storytelling.
THE 2024 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE WINNERS ARE:
FOR NATURE WRITING:
FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION:
FOR CHILDREN’S WRITING ON NATURE AND CONSERVATION:
This year’s judging panels were chaired by Dr Khalil Thirlaway (Nature Writing), Joycelyn Longdon (Writing on Conservation) and Roisin Taylor (Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation).
Alastair Giles, Director of the Wainwright Prize said:
“A huge congratulations to all our longlisted and shortlisted authors and illustrators, as well as our three deserving winners. It’s wonderfully heartwarming to witness the emergence of a new generation of outstandingly talented writers, exposing the genre and its increasingly salient themes to ever larger and more diverse audiences. The Wainwright Prize feels ever more important as we confront the realities of a world in crisis, but as this year’s winners prove, it’s equally important to reflect on finding peace and connection with the natural world, and to inspire younger generations to become better environmental stewards than those before them.”
The Nature Writing prize was awarded to writer and lecturer in English Literature and Environment Humanities Michael Malay for Late Light, which combines natural history with memoir in the story of his journey as an Indonesian Australian making a new home for himself in England. The judges praised Late Light for being an ‘accessible’ read that is ‘inspirational for everybody’ by dealing with eco anxiety without creating terror.
Dr Khalil Thirlaway, Chair of Judges in the Nature Writing category and Biologist and Presenter, said:
“Late Light brings the reader along with Michael Malay on a very human journey of discovery, connection and realisation. Michael portrays his evolving emotional and intellectual relationships with people, place and nature in a way that’s very easy to get on board with, while still having moments of beautiful prose that uplift the reading experience. Accompanying the author through the book, the reader will go on their own journey in relation to the experiences, themes and issues raised as things progress to an empowering call for positive change.”
The winner for the Writing on Conservation prize is Blue Machine: How the Ocean Shapes Our World by physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski. Blending marine biology, history and climate change concerns into a spellbinding exploration of the ocean and drawing on her years of experience in marine science, the judges called Czerski’s writing a ‘passionate’ exploration in to how the oceans are vital in a multitude of ways to life on the rest of the planet.
Joycelyn Longdon, Chair of Judges in the Writing on Conservation category and Founder of Climate in Colour, said:
“In Blue Machine, we are immersed into the world of the ocean with spectacular detail, from the minuscule to the macroscopic, guided through the ocean’s anatomy and introduced to the people who live in intimate relationships with it. It is overwhelming and astounding how little we know about our oceans despite the immense role they play in sustaining life on this planet. With ocean temperatures reaching 400-year highs, and mounting threats from deep-sea mining operations across the globe, understanding and taking action to protect ocean ecosystems has never been more urgent. Through compelling narratives, inspiring stories and in-depth research Helen Czerski transforms our view of the Blue Machine.”
Katya Balen is the winner for the Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation Prize for her heartwarming adventure Foxlight. The judging panel commented on Balen’s ‘compelling’ and ‘exceptional’ storytelling, celebrating the exploration of nature as twins venture into the ferocious wildlands in an attempt to find their mother. Balen has previously been shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize and received a highly commended accolade for October, October in 2022.
Roisin Taylor, Chair of Judges in the Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation category and Co-Director at UK Youth for Nature, said:
“Foxlight stood out for all of the judges for its rich warmth of storytelling, demonstrating the need for adventure and interaction with nature at its messiest to ensure a life connected to it. It’s a book that dances from the start; sharing a tale of sisterhood in the unruly natural world, and the depths we go to find connection. Young people need connection to nature now more than ever, and Katya Balen artfully shows us how simple that can be – through adventure, joy and discovery.”
Highly Commended in each category were: Dispersals: On Plants, Borders and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee (Nature Writing), Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain’s Wild Boar by Chantal Lyons (Writing on Conservation) and Global by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano (Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation), the very first graphic novel to be shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize.
The winners were announced at a ceremony at Camley Street Natural Park near Kings Cross in London where a £7,500 prize fund was shared between the three winners.
This year’s visual campaign is produced by designer and illustrator Emily Wainwright who created bespoke illustrations that have been used throughout the campaign, including design assets and trophies presented to the three winners.