After celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, the Wainwright Prize is entering its second decade amidst ever-present conversation about our environment. This focus on our natural world is reflected in the continued growth in the sector of nature and conservation writing and publishing. The Wainwright Prize's role in highlighting not only the brilliance of writing in the genre but also the larger conversations is as important as ever. And with last week's general election results and a new government now in office it is hoped that The Wainwright Prize will provide a platform that can bring many of the important issues covered within this year's longlist to the forefront of political discourse.

Spread across three different categories - the Prize for Nature Writing, the Prize for Writing on Conservation and the Prize for Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation, the 35-strong 2024 longlist was announced this morning, the 11th July. Named after fell walker and guide book writer Alfred Wainwright, the prizes are 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 prize is awarded annually to the books which most successfully inspire readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world.

The Wainwright Prize judging panels for the three categories industry experience and expertise to the table from some of the UK's nature activists, authors, booksellers, scientific researchers and largest nature charities. Commenting on this year's longlist the Prize Director Alastair Giles says:

“As we enter The Wainwright Prize’s second decade, the necessity to showcase and celebrate the very best of Nature and Conservation Writing has only strengthened. Although the plight of nature has never been more troubling, we have also witnessed a wave of enthusiasm from readers over the few years, and we hope that The Wainwright Prize can fulfil its role to motivate people to reconnect with the environment, both physically and intellectually. We can’t wait to find out which books from our 2024 longlists will be shortlisted later this summer, before we choose our eventual winners."

Without further ado, the 2024 longlist for The Wainwright Prize for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation is:

Foxlight by Katya Balen

The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions by Giselle Clarkson

Global: A Graphic Novel Adventure About Hope in the Face of Climate Change by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano

Skrimsli by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Jackie Morris

The Golden Hare by Paddy Donnelly Finding Bear by Hannah Gold, Illustrated by Levi Pinfold

Finding Bear by Hannah Gold, Illustrated by Levi Pinfold

Fly by David Lindo, Illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows

Geomancer: In The Shadow of the Wolf Queen by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

The Panda’s Child by Jackie Morris, Illustrated by Cathy Fisher

Quiet by Tom Percival, Illustrated by Richard Jones

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back - An Illustrated Guide by Isabella Tree, Illustrated by Angela Harding

We're thrilled to see the names of some of our favourite authors in the Children's Writing category too. The start of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's epic new fantasy trilogy Geomancer: In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen is an epic adventure and a new modern classic for readers young an old. Katya Balen's Foxlight is "a gripping adventure with [...] two remarkable and very different girls at its heart". The "heart-pounding return of Bear" in Finding Bear by Hannah Gold became a LoveReading4Kids Star Book, as did The Panda's Child by Jackie Morris, an "exquisite tale of betrayal, bravery, and an unbreakable bond".

Katherine Rundell is already having quite the awards season, with her book Impossible Creatures winning at the British Book Awards and being shortlisted at The Week Junior Book Awards. These accolades are well deserved and Impossible Creatures sits as a LoveReading4Kids Star Book, it's "an epic adventure set in a world of wonderful, mythological creatures, sometimes benign but frequently savage".

The Wainwright Prize shortlist will be announced on the 15th August, with the announcement of the winners coming on Wednesday the 11th September at an event held at Camley Street Natural Park near Kings Cross in London. The prize was founded and is still supported by, both the Alfred Wainwright Estate & Frances Lincoln, who is the publisher of the Wainwright Guides. The £7,500 prize fund will be shared and presented to the authors of the three winning books.

Read about the longlists for the adult categories of Nature Writing, Conservation Writing over on LoveReading here  

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