The winners of the 2023 James Cropper Wainwright Prize were announced today, 14th September, at a ceremony to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Prize. This year's celebrations took place in Kendal, home of Alfred Wainwright the much-loved nature writer and part namesake for this prize.

The James Cropper Wainwright Prize is awarded each year to the books which reflect Wainwright's core values, celebrates nature and our natural environment and inspires readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world. This year's winners also shine a spotlight on a range of remarkable habitats including wild rivers, lost rainforests and the wondrous Arctic, inspiring advocacy for, and reconnection with nature for readers of all ages.

The 2023 James Cropper Wainwright Prize Winners Are:

For Nature Writing:

Winner – The Flow: Rivers, Waters and Wildness by Amy-Jane Beer

Amy-Jane Beer, A Yorkshire based biologist, writer and campaigner for equality of access to nature won the Nature Writing Prize for Flow: Rivers, Water and Wilderness, her ‘elegant’ and ‘topical’ reflection on finding strength, solace and wonder in Britain’s waterways, after losing a close friend in a kayaking accident. Exploring themes of adventure and access to wild places, grief, healing, cycling and transformation, the book is a passionate advocate for protecting the living, flowing habitats around us.

Alistair Giles, Directory of the James Cropper Wainwright Prize said:

“Our 2023 Nature Book of the Year is regrettably very topical, and every judge absolutely loved the book. The glorious detail and personal experiences, all written in such elegant and beautifully poetic language, was unparalleled.”

Highly Commended:

The Golden Mole: and Other Living Treasure by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Talya Baldwin

For Writing on Conservation:

Winner – The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole

Guy Shrubsole, a writer and environmental campaigner from Devon won the Writing on Conservation Prize for his book The Lost Rainforests of Britain, the ‘highly original’ story of our forgotten temperate rainforests, and the efforts to restore and protect them. Inspired by a chance discovery of a surviving fragment of rainforest on the edge of Dartmoor, Shrubsole explores these spectacular lost worlds across the UK, offering ‘powerful ideas of hope’ about how they might be brought back to life, and inspiring connection with these magical places.

Chair of judges, Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust commented:

“A highly original, meticulously researched and beautifully written book which takes the reader on a thrilling journey to one of the rarest, most precious habitats to be found in Britain, while also offering some powerful ideas and hope about how the decline of these majestic rainforests might be reversed. Shrubsole’s inquisitive determined, passionate personality shines through, and offers the reader education, inspiration and entertainment from start to finish”.

Highly Commended –

Nomad Century: Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval by Gaia Vince

For Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation

Winner - Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Tom de Freston

Bestselling writer Kiran Millwood Hargrave and illustrator Tom de Freston from Oxford have one the Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation Prize for Leila and the Blue Fox, the story of a young fox and a girl on an unforgettable Arctic adventure, based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked two thousand miles from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days. The judges praised Kiran’s ‘exceptional writing’ and Tom’s ‘hauntingly beautiful illustrations’ in a book that will ‘inspire young people to engage with the natural world,’ in the face of climate change.

Mark Funnell, Chair of Judges and Communication and Campaign Director at the National Trust said:

“The interplay between Kiran’s profoundly affecting writing and Tom’s hauntingly beautiful illustrations is uniquely potent, plunging us into the intertwined worlds of family relationships and nature obsession with a visceral impact that readers won’t forget. It is hard to think of a book that could do more to inspire young people to engage with the natural world, in this case as climate change tears up the rule book for species migration and survival, but without extinguishing all hope. Exceptional storytelling and a triumph of the genre.”

Mark Cropper, Chairman of Headline Sponsors, sustainable paper manufacturer, James Cropper, said:

“Congratulations and thank you to all the shortlisted authors for their incredible contributions. This year’s winners have once again inspired us in our collective work towards a better world. Working with my fellow judges on identifying winners has been a real privilege; the process has been enlightening, and I wish all the authors the very best for the future”.

Now in its tenth year, the Prize was founded and is still supported by both the Alfred Wainwright Estate & Frances Lincoln, publishers of Wainwright Guides. A £10,000 prize fund will be shared between the winners, with each receiving a specially commissioned original artwork by dried flower embroiderer, Olga Prinku. Further details about the Prize can be found here: www.wainwrightprize.com

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