Costa/Whitbread Award Winners and Finalists: 1971 – Present
The Costa Book Awards recognizes books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.
The Costa Book Awards currently awards prizes in five categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book.
The Costa Book Awards started 1971 as the Whitbread Literary Awards. From 1985 they were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2006, when Costa Coffee took over ownership – the year that both Costa and the Book Awards celebrated their 35 th anniversary.
Since the introduction of the overall 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.
Below I have listed only the winners in adult fiction (First Novel and Novel). For 2006 and forward, I have listed the short lists.
For more information about these awards, go here.
Books I’ve Read are highlighted in Blue; follow the link to my reviews
2009
First Novel:
The Finest Type of English Womanhood, by Rachel Heath
John the Revelator, by Peter Murphy
Beauty, by Raphael Selbourne
The Girl with Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw
Novel Award:
Family Album, by Penelope Lively
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
The Elephant Keeper, by Christopher Nicholson
Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin
2008
First Novel:
The Outcast, by Sadie Jones – WINNER (read my review)
Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith
The Behavior of Moths, by Poppy Adams (alternate title: The Sister) (read my review)
Inside the Whale, by Jennie Rooney
Novel Award:
The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry – WINNER (read my review)
The Other Hand, by Chris Cleave
A Partisan’s Daughter, by Louis de Bernieres
Trauma, by Patrick McGrath
2007
First Novel:
What Was Lost, by Catherine O’Flynn – WINNER
A Golden Age, by Tahmima Anam
Gifted, by Nikita Lalwani (read my review)
Mosquito, by Roma Tearne
Novel Award
Day, by A.L. Kennedy – WINNER
Skin Lane, by Neil Bartlett
Death of a Murderer, by Rupert Thomson
The Road Home, by Rose Tremain (read my review)
2006
First Novel
The Tenderness of Wolves, by Stef Penney – WINNER (Read my review)
The Meaning of Night, by Michael Cox
Cloth Girl, by Marilyn Heward Mills
The Amnesia Clinic, by James Scudamore
Novel Award
Restless, by William Boyd - WINNER
Saving Caravaggio, by Neil Griffiths
A Spot of Bother, by Mark Haddon
Black Swan Green, by David Mitchell (read my review)
2005
First Novel
The Harmony Silk Factory, by Tash Aw – WINNER
Novel Award
The Accidental. by Ali Smith - WINNER
2004
First Novel
Eve Green, by Susan Fletcher – WINNER
Novel Award
Small Island, by Andrea Levy – WINNER
2003
First Novel
Vernon God Little, by DBC Pierre - WINNER
Novel Award
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon – WINNER
2002
First Novel
The Song of Names, by Norman Lebrecht - WINNER
Novel Award
Spies, by Michael Frayn – WINNER
2001
First Novel
Something Like A House, by Sid Smit - WINNER
Novel Award
Twelve Bar Blues. by Patrick Neate – WINNER
2000
First Novel
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith – WINNER
Novel Award
English Passengers, by Matthew Kneale – WINNER
1999
First Novel
White City Blue, by Tim Lott – WINNER
Novel Award
Music and Silence, by Rose Tremain - WINNER (read my review)
1998
First Novel
The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden – WINNER
Novel Award
Leading the Cheers, by Justin Cartwright – WINNER
1997
First Novel
The Ventriloquist’s Tale, by Pauline Melville – WINNER
Novel Award
Quarantine, by Jim Crace – WINNER
1996
First Novel
The Debt to Pleasure, by John Lanchester – WINNER
Novel Award
Every Man for Himself, by Beryl Bainbridge – WINNER
1995
First Novel
Behind the Scenes at the Museum, by Kate Atkinson – WINNER
Novel Award
The Moor’s Last Sigh, by Salman Rushdie – WINNER
1994
First Novel
The Longest Memory, by Fred D’Aguiar - WINNER
Novel Award
Felicia’s Journey, by William Trevor – WINNER
1993
First Novel
Saving Agnes, by Rachel Cusk – WINNER
Novel Award
Theory of War, by Joan Brady - WINNER
1992
First Novel
Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington - WINNER
Novel Award
Poor Things, by Alasdair Gray – WINNER
1991
First Novel
Alma Cogan, by Gordon Burn – WINNER
Novel Award
The Queen of the Tambourine, by Jane Gardam – WINNER
1990
First Novel
The Buddha of Suburbia, by Hanif Kureishi – WINNER
Novel Award
Hopeful Monsters, by Nicholas Mosley – WINNER
1989
First Novel
Gerontius, by James Hamilton-Paterson – WINNER
Novel Award
The Chymical Wedding, by Lindsay Clarke – WINNER
1988
First Novel
The Comforts of Madness, by Paul Sayer – WINNER
Novel Award
The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie – WINNER
1987
First Novel
The Other Garden, by Francis Wyndham – WINNER
Novel Award
The Child in Time, by Ian McEwan – WINNER
1986
First Novel
Continent by Jim Crace – WINNER
Novel Award
An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro – WINNER
1985
First Novel
Oranges are not the only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson – WINNER
Novel Award
Hawksmoor, by Peter Ackroyd – WINNER
1984
First Novel
A Parish of Rich Women, by James Buchan – WINNER
Novel Award
Kruger’s Alp, by Christopher Hope – WINNER
1983
First Novel
Flying to Nowhere, by John Fuller – WINNER
Novel Award
Fools of Fortune, by William Trevor – WINNER
1982
First Novel
On the Black Hill, by Bruce Chatwin- WINNER
Novel Award
Young Shoulders, by John Wain – WINNER
1981
First Novel
A Good Man in Africa, by William Boyd – WINNER
Novel Award
Silver’s City, by Maurice Leitch – WINNER
1980
No adult fiction awards
1979
Novel Award
The Old Jest, by Jennifer Johnston – WINNER
1978
Novel Award
Picture Palace, by Paul Theroux – WINNER
1977
Novel Award
Injury Time, by Beryl Bainbridge – WINNER
1976
Novel Award
The Children of Dynmouth, by William Trevor – WINNER
1975
Novel Award
Docherty, by William McIlvanney – WINNER
1974
Novel Award
The Sacred & Profane Love Machine, by Iris Murdoch – WINNER
1973
Novel Award
The Chip Chip Gatherers, by Shiva Naipaul – WINNER
1972
Novel Award
The Bird of Night, by Susan Hill – WINNER
1971
Novel Award
The Destiny Waltz, by Gerda Charles – WINNER