Awards
Previous Judges
Select a name from the list below to find out more
Adam Sisman
Writer
Adam Sisman writes and reviews books for newspapers and magazines in Britain, Ireland and America. He worked as a book publisher for almost fifteen years before taking up writing. His most recent book, Boswell's Presumptuous Task, was shortlisted for the 2001 Whitbread Biography Award as well as several other prizes, and won the prestigious American National Books Critics Circle Award in 2002. His earlier book, AJP Taylor: A Biography, was also highly acclaimed and was shortlisted for a number of literary prizes. Adam lives near Bath, with his wife, the novelist Robyn Sisman, and their two children. He is currently working on a new book about the friendship between Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Favourite books: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Favourite authors include Jane Austen, Waugh, Orwell, Kingsley Amis, Boswell, AJP Taylor and "any number of others including Herge and Richmal Crompton".
And here's the complete list of Judges
1971
Margaret Drabble, JB Priestley, Anthony Thwaite
1972
Kingsley Amis, Lady Antonia Fraser,
George Malcolm Thompson
1973
Elizabeth Jane Howard, Laurie Lee,
James Pope-Hennessy
1974
Nina Bawden, Maurice Edelman, CP
Snow
1975
Michael Meyer, Robert Robinson,
Claire Tomalin
1976
Susan Hill, David Holloway, AJP
Taylor
1977
Anthony Hern, Frank Muir, Lynne Reid-Banks
1978
Beryl Bainbridge, Anne Scott-James,
Ion Trewin
1979
Jacky Gillott, Michael Holroyd, John Whitley
1980
Nicholas Bagnall, Penelope
Mortimer, Dr John Rae
1981
Andrew Boyle, Penelope Lively, Paul Theroux
1982
Roald Dahl, Peter Giddy, John
Grigg
1983
Frank Delaney, John Elsley, Jane Gardam, Elizabeth
Longford
1984/5
Martin Amis, Hunter Davies, John Hyams,
Edna
O'Brien, Jill Paton Walsh, Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson
1985
Richard Branson, Bob Cattell, Eva
Figes
Bryan Forbes, John Ford, Peter Giddy
Benny Green, Ian Hamilton,
Nigel Hamilton,
Philip Howard, Ralph James, John May
Eva Moore, Denis
Murphy, Philippa Pearce
Peter Porter, Mary Quant, Alison Rimmer
The
Baroness Warnock, Shirley Williams, David Wood
1986
Fleur Adcock, Barbara Buckley, Helen
Cresswell
Roger Cole, Richard Gill, Sir Michael Havers
Ronald Hayman,
David Holloway, Richard Holmes
Jennifer Johnston, Verity Lambert, Ken
Livingstone
Bob Marshall, Bel Mooney, Colin Morgan
Paul Muldoon, Bruce
Oldfield, Helen Paiba
Dr Robert Runcie, Joy Sinclair, Rose Tremain
1987
Dannie Abse, Joan Aiken, Fiona Booth
Roger Bowen,
Heather Brigstocke, John Cheshire
Judy Cooke, Douglas Dunn, Sebastian
Faulks
John Grigg, Valerie Grove, Sir John Harvey-Jones
Susan Hill,
Ludovic Kennedy, Rabbi Julia Neuberger
Ben Pimlott, Alan Plater, Professor
Jon Stallworthy
Antony Thorncroft, Rose Tremain, Andreas Whittam-Smith
1988
Kate Adie, Tessa Blackstone, Wendy Cope
Monica
Dickens, Gerald Durrell, DJ Enright
Sally Feldman, Clement Freud, Max
Hastings
John Hitchin, Anthony Howard, Douglas Hurd
John Hyams, Alan
Jenkins, Penny Perrick
John Parry, Nicholas Shakespeare, Robin
Stringer
Fay Weldon, Diana Wynne Jones, Roy Yates
1989
Bryan Appleyard, Mary Archer, Hazel
Broadfoot
David Cook, Richard Eyre, Nigel Forde
Jane Gardam, Roy
Hattersley, Catherine Heath
Val Hennessy, Gene Kemp, Brenda Maddox
Denis
Murphy, Peter Porter, Libby Purves
Ned Sherrin, Janet Street-Porter, Mark
Wait
John Walsh, Timothy Waterstone, David Wood
1990
Sybille Bedford, Malcolm Bradbury,
Frank Brazier
Rob Carr-Archer, Penelope Fitzgerald, Joanna Foster
Patricia
Hodgson, Anna Home, Jeremy Isaacs
Gerald Kaufman, Roger McGough, Brian
Morton
Stephanie Nettell, Michael Palin, Ben Pimlott
Simon Rae, Michael
Ratcliffe,
John Rowe Townsend
Lynne Truss, Charles Wheeler, Norman
Willis
1991
Mark Amory, Michael Church, John
Cole
Lindsey Fraser, Michael Howard MP, Liz Lochhead
Nicholas Mosley, Gill
Pyrah, Hilary Spurling
Roy Strong, Lawrence Sail, Alice Thomas Ellis
Ann
Thwaite, Anthony Thwaite, Barbara Trapido
Donald Trelford, John Walsh,
Timberlake Wertenbaker
David Wilkinson, Ed Wilson, Philip Ziegler
1992
Willie Anderson, Catherine Lockerbie, Bernice
Rubens
Martin Lee, Pat McLoughlin, Max Stafford-Clark
Douglas Dunn, Grace
Nichols, Susan Roberts
Edward Blishen, PD James, Brian Walden
Diana
Hendry, Andrew Hollingsworth, Bill Oddie
Joan Bakewell, Elizabeth
Esteve-Coll, John Hanson, John Hitchin, Richard Lambert, Peter Sissons
1993
David Benedictus, David Mellor, Fay
Weldon
James Heneage, Philip Hobsbawn, Daniel Johnson
Roger Bratchell,
Linton Kwesi Johnson, Andrew Motion
Lynn Barber, Antonia Fraser, Harriet
Harvey-Wood
Sue Arnold, Gillian Cross, Fay Sinai
Adrian Noble, Philip
Joseph, Peter Preston, Ruth Rendell, Polly Toynbee, William Waldegrave
1994
Susan Hill, Harry Ritchie, Bing Taylor
John
Coldstream, Penelope Mortimer, Marina Warner
Clare Francis, Andrew Sinclair,
AN Wilson
Sean O'Brien, David Taylor, Auberon Waugh
Adele Geras, Sue
Townsend, Liz Woodhead
Barbara Amiel, Howard Davies, David Hunt MP, Anne
Robinson, Terry Waite, Jeremy Paxman
Bold denotes final judging panel member
1995
Novel: Candia McWilliam, Miriam
Gross, Joe Sinyor
First Novel: Rachel Cusk, Hilary Mantel,
Jason Cowley
Biography: Sir Julian Critchley, Douglas
Schatz, Peter Grosvenor
Poetry: Adrian Mitchell, Jackie Kay,
Sophie Leek
Children's Book: Nanette Newman, Sonia Benster, Simon
Tait
Professor Richard Hoggart (Chair), Jane Asher, Frances
Edmonds, Sheena McDonald
1996
Novel: Geordie Greig, Lisa Jardine,
Josephine Hart
First Novel: Alain de
Botton, Jo Howard, James Walton
Biography: Magnus Linklater, David
McRedmond, Miranda Seymour
Poetry: Simon
Armitage, Jan Dalley, Tom Velickovic
Children's Book: Joanna Carey,
Elizabeth Hammill, Jacqueline Wilson (Cameron Queen, Ela
Stevenson)
Professor Malcolm Bradbury (Chair), Ian Hislop, Will
Hutton, Maureen Lipman
1997
Novel: Findlay Caldwell, Stephen
Moss, Fay Weldon
First Novel: Elizabeth Buchan,
Helen Dunmore, Albert Read
Biography: Alison
Blair-Underwood, Selina Hastings, Boyd Tonkin
Poetry: Carol
Ann Duffy, Lord Gowrie, Robert Nye
Children's Book:
Anne Fine, Damian Kelleher, Jenny Morris (Sally Inwood, Maria
Adey)
Professor Jeremy Treglown (Chair), Edwina Currie, Jonathan
Ross, Peter Stothard
1998
Novel: Suzi Feay, Allan
Massie, Deborah Moggach
First Novel: Peter Florence, Shena
Mackay, Jane Mays
Biography: Sarah Bradford, Roger
Katz, Brian MacArthur
Poetry: U A Fanthorpe, P J Kavanagh,
Nick Rennison
Chidlren's Book: Floella Benjamin, Malorie
Blackman, Steve Hocking (Elliot Ross, Katherine Westall)
Raymond
Seitz (Chair), Rosie Boycott, Magnus Magnusson, Kirsty Young
1999
Novel: Robert Harris, Hartley
Moorhouse, Jenni Murray
First Novel: Kate Saunders, Erica Wagner,
Nigel Williams
Biography: Sarah Anderson, Anthony
Holden, Jackie Wullschlager
Poetry: Susan Blishen, Glyn
Maxwell, Jamie McKendrick
Children's Book: Nicolette Jones, Simon
Puttock, Sandi Toksvig (Laura Southall, Kate Lawrence, John
Boucher)
Dr Eric Anderson (Chair), Jerry Hall, Imogen Stubbs, Ann
Widdecombe
2000
Novel: Sally Beauman, Rachel
Holmes, Alex Linklater
First Novel: Paul Davies, Penny Vincenzi,
Minette Walters
Biography: Michael Holroyd,
Claire Minett, David Sexton
Poetry: David Lea, Jo Shapcott,
Jon Turney
Children's Book: Kate Agnew, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Michael
Morpurgo (Eleanor Pullan, Adam Usden)
Sir Tim Rice (Chair),
Clare Balding, Alan Davies, Matthew Pinsent, Penny Smith
2001
Novel: Esther Freud, Mary Loudon,
Tim OKelly
First Novel: Brian Case, Giles Foden, Jane
Rogers
Biography: Mike Brookes-Sullivan, Kathryn Hughes, Stella
Tillyard
Poetry: Harry Eyres, Daisy Goodwin, Tobias
Hill
Children's Book: Julia Eccleshare, Roy Flowers, Jamila
Gavin, Lizo Mzimba (Annalisa Middleton, Harry
Cheetham)
Jon Snow (chair), Saffron Burrows, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Denise
Lewis OBE
2002
Novel: Michael Dobbs, Vanessa
Eversfield, Peter Kemp
First Novel: James Daunt, Bonnie Greer, Joanna
Trollope
Biography: Dylan Jones, Adam Sisman, Karen
Tyerman
Poetry: Jonathan Barker, Wendy Cope, Tom
Sutcliffe
Children's Book: Geraldine McCaughrean, Jane
Robertson, S F Said, Lizo Mzimba (Saijal Reahal, Tim Wickson)
Ian
Hislop (chair), Julian Fellowes, Hermione Norris, Joely Richardson
2003
Novel: Philip
Hensher, Mark Lawson, Kate Summerscale
First Novel: Tim
Lott, Jane Moore, Patrick Neale
Poetry: Andy Ching, Andrew
Motion CBE, Christina Patterson
Biography: Ysenda Maxtone
Graham, James Naughtie, Laurence Howell
Children's Book: Jenny
Agutter, Colin Brabazon, Gillian Cross, Lizo Mzimba (Niral
Panchal, Jacquie Peate)
Joan Bakewell CBE (chair), Bill
Bryson, Ralph Fiennes, Meera Syal, Liza Tarbuck
2004
Novel: Toby Bourne, Jenny
Colgan, Amanda Craig
First Novel: Joanne Harris,
Caroline Gascoigne, Robert Palmer
Poetry: Philip Bell,
Lavinia Greenlaw, Luke Leitch
Biography:
Roy Hattersley, Claire Armitstead, Mary James
Children's
Book: Kevin Crossley-Holland, Katie Derham, Sharon Sperling
(Sarah Hayes, Adam Pipe)
Sir Trevor McDonald (chair), Mariella
Frostrup, Hugh Grant, Michael Portillo
2005
Novel: Alex Clark, Philippa
Gregory, John Humphrys
First Novel: Susanna Rustin, Robert Topping,
Arabella Weir
Poetry: Ciaran Carson, Suzie
Doore, Robert Potts
Biography: Margaret Drabble, Frances
Wilson, Jon Woolcott
Children's Book: Lizo Mzimba, Linda
Newbery, Gervase Phinn (Calum Finlayson, Una Haran)
Michael
Morpurgo MBE (chair), Joanna David, Emilia Fox, Alastair Stewart