Press
Press Release
10/17/2006
Key Dates for the Costa Book Awards
KEY DATES FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARDS 2006
The Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Awards, have the single aim of celebrating the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.
Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won seven times by a novel, three times by a first novel, five times by a biography, five times by a collection of poetry and once by a children?s book.
Venue:
Costa Coffee is pleased to announce that the first-ever Costa Book Awards will take place on Wednesday 7th February 2007 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London.
Costa will continue with the same format as in previous years with five categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Children?s Book and Poetry resulting in the announcement of the prestigious Costa Book of the Year.
Entries:
The 15 category judges* are now reading between them the 580 books submitted for this year?s Costa Book Awards. This is the highest number of entries ever received in one year since the Book Awards began in 1971 and is a staggering 21% increase from 2005 (476 entries).
Key Dates:
Key dates for the Costa Book Awards 2006 are:
Shortlist Announcement : Wednesday 29th November 2006
Shortlists announced for:
Costa First Novel Award
Costa Novel Award
Costa Biography Award
Costa Poetry Award
Costa Children?s Book Award
Final Judging Panel Announcement : Mid December 2006 (date tbc)
Category Winner Announcement : Wednesday 10th January 2007
Winners announced for:
Costa First Novel Award
Costa Novel Award
Costa Biography Award
Costa Poetry Award
Costa Children?s Book Award
Costa Book of the Year Awards Ceremony
? The awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday 7th February 2007 to announce the Costa Book of the Year 2006
For further press information please contact:
Amanda Johnson at the Costa Book Awards
Telephone: 0207 751 2039 (direct line) or 07715 922 180 (mobile)
Email: amanda.johnson@whitbread.com
Notes to Editors
* A full list of the 15 category judges can be found at www.costabookawards.co.uk
? To be eligible for the 2006 awards, books must have been first published in the UK or Ireland between 1 November 2005 and 31 October 2006.
? The total prize fund for the Costa Book Awards is ?50,000
? The 2005 winner of the Book of the Year was Hilary Spurling for Matisse: The Master (Hamish Hamilton)
Return to previous page