Submissions
Submissions are now closed.
Only books first published between 1st June 2024 – 31st May 2025 are eligible.
If the book is not currently published, but is due to be published before 31st May 2025, we accept manuscripts and proofs.
Authors/illustrators can be from any country as long as the title is published or readily available to all bookshop outlets in the UK (written in or translated into English).
Consent must be obtained from authors, illustrators and any contributors by publishers before submitting titles.
It is possible to submit for both the Nature and Conservation categories.
Award categories & Criteria:
The Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing – recognises titles that reveal and celebrate all aspects of nature and the global outdoors.
Recent winners include: Late Light by Michael Malay (Manilla Press, Bonnier Books), The Flow by Amy-Jane Beer (Bloomsbury), Goshawk Summer by James Aldred (Elliott & Thompson), Pastoral by James Rebanks (Penguin) and Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty (Little Toller Press).
The Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation – recognises titles that make the case for nature conservation or tackling climate change.
Recent winners include: Blue Machine by Helen Czerski (Torva, Transworld), The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole (William Collins), Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino (Jonathan Cape), Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (Vintage) and Rebirding by Benedict Macdonald (Pelagic).
The Wainwright Prize for Children – recognises titles in children’s publishing that emphasise the importance of inspiring young people to engage with nature and the outdoors or understanding the need for conservation or tackling climate change. The book could be illustrated, fiction or non-fiction and for children of any age.
Recent winners are: Foxlight by Katya Balen (Bloomsbury Children’s), Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston (Hachette Children’s Group) and The Biggest Footprint by Rob and Tom Sears (Canongate).
The prizes will be awarded to the work which best reflects Wainwright’s core values and includes a celebration of nature and our natural environment, or a warning of the dangers to it across the globe.
The 2024 prize fund for winners is being finalised, but as a guide, last year £7,500 was shared and presented to the 3 winners.
KEY DATES
Submissions open – 4th February
Submissions close – 6th March
Longlist Announcement – 5th June tbc
Shortlist Announcement – 17th July tbc
Ceremony – 11th September tbc
The longlists in all categories will be selected from the nominations using a combination of the views of Independent Booksellers throughout the UK, specialist nature reviewers and authors.
There will be three separate and independent judging panels for the categories within the prize to select the shortlists and winners. Chairs and panel members to be revealed during April 2025.
Submissions are accepted from all publishers, small, independent or large, and must be accompanied by a copy sent by post to:
Agile,
c/o WP2025,
Studio 106, Leather Factory Studios, Brook Lane, Holt, BA14 6RL
Each successful title attracts a shortlist levy to cover the promotional costs associated with the prize including; the project management, design, publicity, production and print of all the POS material to retailers, including our partners. The exact amount of the levies will be confirmed asap and will be agreed with all successful publishers before the longlist is announced.
Successful publishers with titles on the longlist will be contacted in April.
Please contact katie@agile-ideas.com if you have any questions.
Do you have multiple submissions?
To submit titles, please either fill in the online form below or if you are submitting multiple titles you can download the excel file
– please fill in the excel and email to katie@agile-ideas.com