Press release - 21stOctober 2021
The Diverse Book Awards Winners Will be Officially Announced Tonight!
Shining the spotlight on diverse and inclusive books in the UK
#TheDBAwards
London, United Kingdom, 21stOctober 2021:The three winners of the second Diverse Book Awards will be officially revealed tonight at an online awardsceremony open to all (YouTube):https://youtu.be/ISF260p_oaU
More than 100 submissions were entered in to The Diverse Book Awards, created by writing community The Author School (www.theauthorschool.com). Today, the top three books from the shortlist will be unveiled along with the crowning winners of the Children's, YA and Adult Fiction categories.
Abiola Bello, co-founder of The Author School and award-winning author: "We're excited to reveal the winners and want to thank all the booksellers, librarians, readers and publishers who have supported the longlist and who we hope will now help spread the word about this year's awards. We have had so much amazing support for The Diverse Book Awards and hope everyone can buy books from this amazing list."
Helen Lewis, co-founder of The Author School and prize-winning book publicist at Literally PR: "We are so grateful to the amazing judges for their time deciding on this important longlist, shortlist and top 3. Reading so many incredible books and being faced with the tough decision of which should book should ultimately win is a very tough job. The competition this year is fierce, which is a good thing! We have already heard amazing feedback from librarians, teachers, readers, parents, booksellers, authors and publishers regarding the longlist."
The three winners from each category will receive a bundle of prizes including a trophy, a six-month PR and marketing membership of Literally PR's ‘100 Club', a feature and virtual event with Back To Books, editorial content in Bad Form and Pen&Inc, the opportunity to be part of two author panel events - hosted by The Author School and the other with Simon & Schuster.
The Children's winner will have their book featured as part of World Book Day Book Club and a school visit organised by World of Diversity.
The YA winner will be part of Wigtown YA Literary Festival and a school visit organised by World of Diversity.
The Children's and YA winner will be featured on Tiny Revolution's website and included in their catalogue of books.
Our YA headline sponsor is Book Clubs In Schools and the YA winner will be part of the National Teen Book Club, a UK wide virtual book club for teens.
The Diverse Book Awards Shortlist 2021
Adult Shortlist 2021
A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf (Myriad Editions)
Broadwater by Jac Shreeves-Lee (Fairlight Books)
If I Don't Have You by Sareeta Domingo (Jacaranda)
Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (Faber)
The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain (HQ)
The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Oneworld)
Truth Be Told by Kia Abdullah (HQ)
Young Adult Shortlist 2021
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster)
Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu (Old Barn Books)
Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (Andersen Press)
Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence (Hodder Children's Books (Hachette)
Hideous Beauty by William Hussey (Usborne)
Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann (Penguin Random House Children's)
Wonderland by Juno Dawson (Quercus Children's Books (Hachette)
Children's Shortlist 2021
Baller Boys by Venessa Taylor (Hashtag Press)
Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola (Penguin Random House Children's)
Do You Know Me? by Rebecca Westcott, Libby Scott (Scholastic Children's Books)
Little Badman and the Time-Travelling Teacher of Doom by Humza Arshad and Henry White (Penguin Random House Children's)
Too Small Tola by Atinuke, Onyinye Iwu (Walker Books)
Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah (Scholastic Children's Books)
Zombierella: Fairy Tales Gone Bad by Joseph Coelho, Freya Hartas (Walker Books)
Notes to editors
Abiola Bello and Helen Lewis are available for media interviews. Award enquiries tohello@thediversebookawards.co.uk. Media enquiries toinfo@literallypr.com.
Online links:
www.thediversebookawards.co.uk
instagram.com/thediversebookawards
facebook.com/TheDiverseBookAwards
Bookshop link:https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TheDiverseBookAwards
To watch the previous year's award ceremony online:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytqSiHglgjA
Full list of sponsors of The Diverse Book Awards
YA Headline sponsor: Book Clubs in Schoolshttps://bookclubsinschools.org/
