From inspiring books and remarkable authors and illustrators to passionate judges and a growing community of readers, the Wainwright Prize celebrates the stories that connect people and planet.
Explore this year’s books, meet the people behind the Prize and follow the journey to our 2026 winners.
The Wainwright Prizes, the UK’s foremost nature and conservation writing awards, 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.
Otherlands
by Thomas Halliday & illustrated by Gavin Scott
The Book of Birds
by Jackie Morris & Robert Macfarlane
2026 Category Winners
The Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing
Ancient by Luke Barley
The Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing
The Savage Landscape by Cal Flyn
The Wainwright Prize for Illustrative Books
The Book of Birds by Jackie Morris & Robert Macfarlane
The Children’s Wainwright Prize for Fiction
The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis
The Children’s Wainwright Prize for Non-Fiction
Otherlands by Thomas Halliday & Gavin Scott
The Children’s Wainwright Prize for Picture Books
The Great Bear by Annie Booker
2026 Shortlists
From powerful conservation writing and breathtaking illustrated books to unforgettable stories for young readers, we’re delighted to reveal the 2026 Wainwright Prize Shortlists.
Discover 43 extraordinary books across six categories, celebrating the stories helping us better understand, appreciate and protect the natural world.
Judging Panel
We have added lots of new faces to the 2026 Wainwright Prizes judging panels, find out more below.
2026 Longlists Announced
This year, we’re celebrating 68 exceptional books across five categories, each one showcasing the power of stories to connect people and planet.
