Costa Book Awards 2016 Shortlists Announced

The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize that is open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland. There are five categories being judged – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - published in the last year.

This year's awards attracted 596 entries and judges on this year's panels (three per category) included writers Nicci Gerrard, Andrew O'Hagan, Mary Loudon, Matthew Dennison, poet, author and vlogger Jen Campbell and author-illustrator, Cressida Cowell.

Winners in the five categories, who each receive £5,000, will be announced on Tuesday 3rd January 2017. The overall winner of the 2016 Costa Book of the Year will receive £30,000 and will be selected and announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in central London on Tuesday 31st January 2017.

The shortlist includes a total of 20 authors, 14 female and 6 male and the poetry shortlist is all female this year.

"I'm certain that readers of all tastes will find something to enjoy in this fantastic selection of books," commented Dominic Paul, Managing Director of Costa. "My thanks go to the category judges who read so extensively and chose so carefully, and many congratulations to the shortlisted authors. We're very proud of our heritage and connection with the Book Awards at Costa and we wish them all great success."

COSTA BOOK AWARDS 2016 SHORTLISTS

2016 Costa Novel Award shortlist

• Days Without End - Sebastian Barry (Faber & Faber)
• This Must be the Place - Maggie O'Farrell (Tinder Press)
• The Essex Serpent - Serpent's Tail (Sarah Perry)
• The Gustav Sonata - Rose Tremain (Chatto & Windus)

2016 Costa First Novel Award shortlist

• The Good Guy - Susan Beale (John Murray)
• My Name is Leon - Kit de Waal (Viking)
• The Words in My Hand - Guinevere Glasfurd (Two Roads)
• Golden Hill - Francis Spufford (Faber & Faber)

2016 Costa Biography Award shortlist

• Dadland: A Journey into Uncharted Territory - Keggie Carew (Chatto & Windus)
• Elizabeth: The Forgotten - John Guy (Years Viking)
• The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between - Hisham Matar (Viking)

2016 Costa Poetry Award shortlist

• Sunshine - Melissa Lee-Houghton (Penned in the Margins)
• Falling Awake - Alice Oswald (Jonathan Cape Poetry)
• Say Something Back - Denise Riley (Picador)
• Let Them Eat Chaos - Kate Tempest (Picador)

2016 Costa Children's Book Award shortlist

• The Bombs That Brought Us Together - Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury)
• Orange Boy - Patrice Lawrence (Hodder Children's Books)
• The Monstrous Child - Francesca Simon (Faber & Faber/Profile Books)
• Time Travelling with a Hamster - Ross Welford (Harper Collins Children's Books)