The Wainwright Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of general outdoors,

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

and UK-based

travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), locations. Travel can be done by Pedestrian, foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without Baggage, luggage, a ...

writing. In 2020 it was split into the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing and the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation, with separate longlists and judging panels. It is restricted to books published in the UK. For three years starting in 2022 the prizes were sponsored by Kendal paper-makers

James Cropper plc James Cropper plc is an English papermaking and advanced materials company based in Burneside, Kendal, Cumbria, England. The company was founded in 1845 by James Cropper (1823–1900), whose great-great-grandson James Cropper is the Honorary Pr ...

and known as the James Cropper Wainwright Prizes. A prize for writing for children was introduced in 2022, the three prizes newly titled the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation and the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation. The prize celebrates the legacy of British guidebook writer

Alfred Wainwright Alfred Wainwright Order of the British Empire, MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalking, fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial ...

. The prize was established by

Frances Lincoln Publishers Frances Elisabeth Rosemary Lincoln (20 March 1945 – 26 February 2001) was an English independent publisher of illustrated books. She published under her own name and the company went on to become Frances Lincoln Publishers. In 1995, Lincoln ...

and The Wainwright Society, in association with the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. It was originally sponsored by

Thwaites Brewery Thwaites Brewery is a regional brewery established in 1807 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England by founder Daniel Thwaites. Now located near Mellor, Lancashire, Mellor in the Ribble Valley, part of the company was sold to Marston's in 2015, and th ...

, who produced a beer called Wainwright Ale and was later sponsored by

Marston's Brewery Carlsberg Britvic is a British subsidiary of Carlsberg Group, created in January 2025 by the merger of Carlsberg's UK business (including the former Marston's plc breweries) and Britvic, acquired by Carlsberg Group in 2024. History In 2020, Ma ...

, who took over Thwaites' production of Wainwright Golden Beer, and sometimes referred to as The Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize. In 2020 the prize was no longer sponsored, but was supported by an anonymous benefactor and was "in association with the National Trust". In 2021 the

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

papermakers

became the prize's "headline sponsors" in a three-year agreement. In 2024 it was announced that the prize would be seeking new sponsorship. The prize was first awarded in 2014 to

Hugh Thomson Hugh Thomson (1 June 18607 May 1920) was an Irish Illustration, illustrator. He is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations of works by authors such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and J. M. Barrie. Thomson inaugurated the ''Cranford Sch ...

for his ''The Green Road into the Trees: A Walk Through England''. The winner received a cheque for £5,000. With the introduction of two prizes in 2020 the prize money was shared between the two winners, and in 2022 it was increased to £7,500 to be shared between the three winners.

Winners and shortlisted titles

In the following table, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the book was first published. Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; those with a pale background are the other nominees on the shortlist. * Winners Submissions for the 2025 prizes closed on 6 March 2025. The longlists are expected to be announced on 5 June, the shortlists on 17 July, and the winners on 11 September.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://wainwrightprize.com/ * Outdoor literature awards British literary awards British children's literary awards Awards established in 2013 2013 establishments in the United Kingdom