Winners announced for the 2020 An Post Irish Book of the Year Awards!

2020’s An Post Irish Book Awards saw both new and established authors amongst the winners. Keelin Shanley, Graham Norton, and Professor Luke O’Neill were among the winning authors at this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards, held on rte.ie/culture this evening. Dara McAnulty and Sinéad Burke claimed victory with their debut books, while the Novel of the Year Award was won by Donal Ryan.

This year’s awards attracted a record number of votes from the Irish public, and, for the first time ever, audiences around the world were able to watch the An Post Irish Book Awards ceremony as it happened on rte.ie/culture. If you missed the awards, you can still watch below

First awarded in 2006, the An Post Irish Book Awards showcase a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across sixteen categories, with this year’s awards ceremony taking place online due to the global pandemic. The Awards are Ireland’s biggest literary celebration, championing everything from novels and non-fiction to poetry, short stories and the Irish language.

This year’s awards ceremony was hosted by Evelyn O’Rourke, while the overall winner of the An Post Irish Book of the Year, will be unveiled in a television programme, presented by Miriam O Callaghan, on RTÉ One at 10.15pm on Thursday, 10th December.

Here are the 2020 winners of the An Post Irish Book Awards:

Below is the full list of winners for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2020:

RTÉ Radio 1 Listeners’ Choice Award

  • A Light That Never Goes Out – Keelin Shanley (Gill Books)

Bord Gáis Energy Sports Book of the Year

  • Champagne Football – Mark Tighe & Paul Rowan (Sandycove)

Bookselling Ireland Cookbook of the Year

  • Neven Maguire’s Midweek Meals in Minutes – Neven Maguire (Gill Books)

Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

  • After the Silence – Louise O’Neill (Quercus)

Odgers Berndtson Non-Fiction Book of the Year in association with The Business Post

  • A Ghost in the Throat – Doireann Ní Ghríofa (Tramp Press)

TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year

  • Old Ireland in Colour – John Breslin & Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley (Merrion Press)

Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year

  • Cnámh – Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde (Éabhlóid)

Dept51@Eason Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year

  • Savage Her Reply – Deirdre Sullivan, illustrated by Karen Vaughan (Little Island Books)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Senior

  • Break the Mould – Sinéad Burke, illustrated by Natalie Byrne (Hachette Children’s Books – Imprint: Wren & Rook)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Junior

  • The Great Irish Farm Book – Darragh McCullough, illustrated by Sally Caulwell (Gill Books)

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year

  • Diary of a Young Naturalist – Dara McAnulty, (Little Toller Books)

National Book Tokens Popular Fiction Book of the Year

  • Home Stretch – Graham Norton (Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton)

Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year

  • In the Museum of Misremembered Things – Linda McKenna (In the Museum of Misremembered Things published by Doire Press)

Writing.ie Short Story of the Year Award

  • I Ate It All And I Really Thought I Wouldn’t – Caoilinn Hughes (LitHub)

Ireland AM Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year

  • Never Mind the Boll***s, Here’s the Science – Luke O’Neill (Gill Books)

Eason Novel of the Year

  • Strange Flowers – Donal Ryan (Doubleday Ireland)

Voting is now open for An Post Irish Book of the Year!

The winner will be announced in a TV show on RTÉ One on 10th December, and hosted by Miriam O’Callaghan. Cast your vote for the An Post Irish Book of the Year at anpostirishbookawards.ie/vote – all voters are in with a chance of winning €100 worth of National Book Tokens!

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