LONDON – Costa announced on Tuesday the judging panels for the 2014 Costa Book Awards, which is open to writers based in the UK and Ireland.
They include writers Maggie O’Farrell, Elizabeth Buchan, Bernardine Evaristo and Wendy Moore, children’s author Jonathan Stroud, poet and author Owen Sheers and Radio 2 Book Club Producer, Joe Haddow.
The full panels are listed below:
COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
Joanne Finney: Books Editor, Good Housekeeping
Joe Haddow: Producer, Radio 2 Book Club
Maggie O’Farrell: Writer
COSTA NOVEL AWARD
Elizabeth Buchan: Author
Bernardine Evaristo: Writer
Jasper Sutcliffe: Head of Buying, Foyles
COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD
Paul Laity: Non-Fiction Books Editor, The Guardian
Wendy Moore: Author and Freelance Journalist
Sheila O’Reilly: Owner, Dulwich Books
COSTA POETRY AWARD
Anna Dreda: Independent Bookseller, Founder, Wenlock Poetry Festival
Charlotte Runcie: Poet and Arts Journalist, Daily Telegraph
Owen Sheers: Poet and Author
COSTA CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD
Loran Bradbury: Deputy Literary Editor, Daily Telegraph
Jake Hope: Freelance Reading Development and Children’s Book Consultant
Jonathan Stroud: Author
A total of 640 books were entered for this year’s Costa Book Awards – the highest number of entries ever received in one year.
This year also saw the highest-ever number of entries in the First Novel category – a total of 125 books were submitted in this category; and in the Novel category, which received a staggering 182 submissions.
First Novel category judge, Joe Haddow, said: “I’m thrilled to be a part of this year’s Book Awards and I just know it’s going to be a hard task to choose our shortlist and winner out of all the brilliant first novels we have received this year.”
The judges will select shortlists and winners in their respective categories (First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book) and the five Award Winners will form the shortlist for the 2014 Costa Book of the Year, which will be announced at an awards ceremony in central London on Tuesday January 27th, 2015.
“The breadth of subject and approach in this year’s entries shows a universal confidence and boldness,” commented Novel category judge, Elizabeth Buchan. “This is the category which showcases the authors who have had time to work at their craft and to clarify their vision. One thing is for sure: on this showing, the novel is certainly not dead but alive, kicking and making waves.”
The Costa Book Awards have the single aim of celebrating the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland. Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread Plc, Costa, the UK’s fastest-growing coffee shop chain, announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK’s most prestigious book prize in 2006.
Recent winners of the Costa Book of the Year include Nathan Filer for The Shock of the Fall (2013), Hilary Mantel for Bring Up the Bodies (2012), Andrew Miller for Pure (2011), Jo Shapcott for Of Mutability (2010), Christopher Reid for A Scattering (2009), Sebastian Barry for The Secret Scripture (2008), Day by A. L. Kennedy (2007) and Stef Penney for The Tenderness of Wolves (2006).
In 2012, Costa launched the Costa Short Story Award, a new Award for a single short story run in association with the Costa Book Awards but judged independently of the main five-category system. The Award is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words by an author aged 18 years or over and written in English.
A panel of five judges will select a shortlist of six entries which will be revealed in November 2014. The public will then be invited to vote online for their favourite story from the six finalists. The two runners-up and winner will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony on 27th January 2015.
