2026 Winners Announced

The 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year

The Book of Birds by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize Book of the Year

Otherlands: An Illustrated Journey Through Earth’s Lost Worlds by Thomas Halliday, illustrated by Gavin Scott

Thursday 17 September 2026: The Wainwright Prizes, the UK’s foremost nature and conservation writing awards, today announced their 2026 winners at a special ceremony held at the Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent, hosted by Wainwright Prize ambassador and The Times journalist Henry Bird. Jackie Morris & Robert Macfarlane’s The Book of Birds was awarded the 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year, with Thomas Halliday and Gavin Scott winning the 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize Book of the Year for their book Otherlands: An Illustrated Journey Through Earth’s Lost Worlds.

Awarded annually since 2014, The Wainwright Prizes showcase writing that reflects the values of its namesake, Alfred Wainwright, celebrating nature and our environment, nurturing respect for our planet, and informing readers of the threats that the earth currently faces. This year’s category winners are:

The 2026 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing

Ancient: Reviving the Woods That Made Britain by Luke Barley (Profile Books)

The 2026 Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing

The Savage Landscape by Cal Flyn (HarperCollins/William Collins)

The 2026 Wainwright Prize for Illustrative Books

The Book of Birds by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK)

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize for Fiction

The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize for Non-Fiction

Otherlands: An Illustrated Journey Through Earth’s Lost Worlds by Thomas Halliday, illustrated by Gavin Scott (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize for Picture Books

The Great Bear by Annie Booker (Two Hoots)

The 2026 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year and Illustrative Books category winner, The Book of Birds, was described by the judges as an “utterly beautiful book to treasure”, praising Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane for their exceptional chemistry. A call to help stop the decline in endangered bird species in Britain, this book asks not what a bird is, but “who” is that bird. This is Robert Macfarlane’s second win, having been awarded the prize in 2019 for his book Underland, and whilst the duo were shortlisted for the prize in 2018 for their book The Lost Words, this is Jackie Morris’ first Wainwright Prize win.

The 2026 Children’s Wainwright Prize Book of the Year and Children’s Non-Fiction category winner, Otherlands: An Illustrated Journey Through Earth’s Lost Worlds by Thomas Halliday, illustrated by Gavin Scott, is a “deeply knowledgeable” illustrated journey through time, adapted from the bestselling adult novel that was highly commended at the 2022 Wainwright Prize. The book introduces young people to the life that shared the world before our time, with judges calling it a “breakthrough children’s classic that will endure for decades.”

As well as celebrating exceptional writing, the Prize spotlights the latest thinking on environmental issues, with this year’s other category winners sparking important conversations about reconnecting with nature, endangered species and protecting the planet:

• Luke Barley’s Ancient: Reviving the Woods that Made Britain picks up the acclaimed Nature Writing Prize, a wonderful book that aims to reconnect readers with Britain’s ancient woodlands.
• Cal Flyn asks provocative questions about how the world’s most forbiddingly remote places might be appreciated and preserved in The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness, winner of the Conservation Writing Prize.
• Caryl Lewis’s The Danger of Small Things wins the Children’s Prize for Fiction and imagines a dystopian world where the bees have died out, a not-too-dystopian possibility with real-life drops in our bee population.
• Annie Booker’s The Great Bear was awarded the Children’s Prize for Picture Books and carries a powerful message about the impact humans have on nature in the Arctic and how we can protect it.

Alongside these winners, several books were highly commended:

• Nature Writing: Ghosts of the Farm: Two Women’s Journeys Through Time, Land and Community by Nicola Chester (Chelsea Green Publishing)
• Conservation Writing:
  • Green Crime: Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet, and How to Stop Them by Dr Julia Shaw (Canongate Books)
  • When the Forest Breathes by Suzanne Simard (Allen Lane, Penguin Press)
• Illustrative Books: Funga Obscura: Photo Journeys Among Fungi by Alison Pouliot (University of Chicago Press)
• Children’s Fiction: The Adventures of Portly the Otter: Untold Tales From the Wind in the Willows by M.G. Leonard, illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Farshore, HarperCollins)
• Children’s Non-Fiction: The Cave Explorer by Kate Winter (Penguin Random House Children’s UK Puffin)
• Children’s Picture Books: Isla & The Sky by Greg Stobbs (Oxford University Press)

Of this year’s winner’s, The Wainwright Prize Director, Alastair Giles, said:

“Warmest congratulations to all our longlisted, shortlisted, and winning authors and illustrators. This year’s entries once again show just how vital and vibrant nature and conservation writing has become, not only as a form of creative expression, but as a force for change. As environmental and social challenges grow ever more urgent, it’s inspiring to see writers using their voices to deepen our connection with the natural world. The Wainwright Prize continues to champion those who remind us that storytelling can be a powerful step towards awareness, action, and ultimately, hope.”

The Head Judges for the six categories were:

• Nature Writing: 2024 Wainwright winning author, Michael Malay
• Conservation Writing: Biodiversity Reporter for The Guardian, Phoebe Weston
• Illustrative Books: Head of Horticulture at the Horniman Museum, Errol Reuben Fernandes
• Children’s Non-Fiction: Ornithologist, activist and author, Mya Rose-Craig
• Children’s Fiction: Bestselling children’s author, Abi Elphinstone
• Children’s Picture Books: Broadcast journalist, author and storyteller, Ash Bhardwaj

The overall winners were chosen by an executive panel, distinct from the category judges, who drew on recommendations of the category judging panels. More information on the judges and judging process can be found here. Each overall winning book was awarded £2,500, with individual category winners receiving £500.