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28.
September
2022.
The Diverse Book Awards Shortlist Officially Announced Today!

Press release - Embargoed until midday UK time on Wednesday 28th September 2022

 

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The Diverse Book Awards Shortlist Officially Announced Today!

Shining the spotlight on diverse and inclusive books in the UK

#TheDBAwards 

 

London, United Kingdom, 28thSeptember 2022:The shortlist is officially revealed for the third Diverse Book Awards today, celebrating 24 wonderful books and authors. More than 110 submissions were entered into The Diverse Book Awards, created by award-winning author Abiola Bello and prize-winning publicist Helen Lewis. Today, the shortlist showcases the outstanding diverse and inclusive books published by authors and publishers based in the UK and Ireland during 2021. The winners (top three) in each category will be officially announced on October 20 2022 at a guest-list only party in Waterstones Piccadilly, London (presspasses available viahelenlewis@literallypr.com). This is the first time in three yearsthat The Diverse Book Awards has been able to celebrate all the outstanding talent at an in-person event, due to the pandemic.

 

Abiola Bello, co-founder of The Diverse Book Awards and award-winning author: "It was a challenging but fun task to get the shortlist together, each of the judges had their favourites. We're so happy with our list and know that any one of these amazing books could go on to win The Diverse Book Awards 2022. 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 the shortlist. 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 Diverse Book Awards and prize-winning book publicist at Literally PR: "We are very grateful to the amazing judges for their time deciding on this important longlist and shortlist. Reading so many incredible books and being faced with the decision of which should make it into each list is a very tough job - there are so many wonderful diverse and inclusive books in the UK today. We cannot wait to see what kind of reception the shortlist gets..."

 

Prizes

 

The winner from each category will receive a bundle of prizes including a beautiful glass trophy, VIP admission to 12 months of author marketing and branding online workshops hosted byLiterally PR, editorial content inPen&Incand the opportunity to be part of the winners panel hosted byThe Author School.That Playlist Book Boxwill create a limited edition winners' book box.

The YA and Children's winner will have a dedicated page on the Peterswebsite, and a book signing atWonderlandBookshop.

The Children's winner will be part of an online panel hosted byMadeleine Milburn Literary Agency, featured as aWorld Book DayUK Book Club pick and be part of Big Wig Children's Festival at theWigtown Book Festival.

The YA winner will be part of theNational Teen Book Club, a UK wide virtual book club for teens and Wigtown YA at the Wigtown Book Festival.

The Adult winner will do a book signing atPages of Hackneybookshop.

The Diverse Book Awards Longlist 2022

 

Adult Longlist 2022

 

Black Water Sisterby Zen Cho (Pan Macmillan).

 

His Only Wifeby Peace Adzo Medie (Oneworld).

 

Next of Kinby Kia Abdullah (HQ).

 

Open Waterby Caleb Azumah Nelson (Viking Books).

 

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (Viking Books).

 

The Day I Fell Off My Islandby Yvonne Bailey-Smith (Myriad Editions).

 

The Jigsaw Manby Nadine Matheson (HQ).

 

This One Sky Dayby Leone Ross (Faber).

 

Young Adult Longlist 2022

 

Ace of Spadesby Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Usborne).

 

Being Amaniby Annabelle Steele (Hashtag BLAK).

 

Skin of The Seaby Natasha Bowen (Penguin Random House Children's).

 

Splinters of Sunshineby Patrice Lawrence (Hodder Children's Books).

 

The Crossingby Manjeet Mann (Penguin Random House Children's).

 

The Henna Warsby Adiba Jaigirdar (Hodder Children's Books).

 

What We're Scared Ofby Keren David (Scholastic).

 

You're The One That I Wantby Simon James Green (Scholastic).

 

Children's Longlist 2022

 

Danny Chung Does Not DoMaths by Maisie Chan, illustrated by Anh Cao (Piccadilly Press).

 

Hey You!by Dapo Adeola, Diane Ewan, Onyinye Iwu, Jade Orlando, Bec Glendining, Derick Brooks, Joelle Avelino, Dunni Mustapha, Kingsley Nebechi, Chanté Timothy, Nicole Miles, Camilla Sucre, Jobe Anderson, Alyissa Johnson, Chatlot Kristensen, Sharee Miller, Reggie Brown, Selom Sunu, Gladys Jose (Penguin Random House Children's).

 

How I Saved the World In A Weekby Polly Ho-Yen, illustrated by George Ermos (Simon & Schuster Children's UK).

 

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbowby Benjamin Dean, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Simon & Schuster Children's UK).

 

The Best Diwali Everby Sonali Shah, illustrator Chaaya Prabhat (Scholastic).

 

The Lightning Catcherby Claire Weze (Bloomsbury Children's Books).

 

The Shark Callerby Zillah Bethell (Usborne).

 

The Very Merry Murder Clubby Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, Dominique Valente, Elle McNicoll, E.L. Norry, Maisie Chan, Roopa Farooki, Nizrana Farook, Patrice Lawrence, Joanna Williams, Serena Patel, Sharna Jackson, illustrated by Harry Woodgate. Edited by Robin Stevens and Serena Patel (Farshore).

 

Notes to editors

Abiola Bello and Helen Lewis are available for media interviews.

Award enquiries tohello@thediversebookawards.co.uk.

 

Press folder:bit.ly/DBAs2022

 

Media enquiries toinfo@literallypr.com.

 

Online links:

www.thediversebookawards.co.uk

twitter.com/the_dbawards

instagram.com/thediversebookawards

facebook.com/TheDiverseBookAwards

Bookshop link:uk.bookshop.org/shop/TheDiverseBookAwards

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Sponsors of The Diverse Book Awards

YA Headline sponsor: Book Clubs in Schoolsbookclubsinschools.org/