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Arriving within days of each other, the winners of the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Award and the Philip K. Dick Award were both announced this month. The latter went to Nova Swing by M. John Harrison - another major award for this book after picking up the Arthur C. Clarke Award last year. And over at the British National Science Fiction Convention a couple of days later, the BSFA announced the winner of the Best Sci-Fi novel as Brasyl by Ian Mcdonald. To mark their fiftieth anniversary, the BSFA also awarded a special prize to Brian Aldiss for "Non-Stop", his classic novel from half a century ago.Read more about the Philip K. Dick Awards or the British Science Fiction Association AwardsOr visit the Philip K. Dick Award website or the BSFA website
The winners of the British Sports Book Awards were announced yesterday. Sir Bobby Charlton won the main Autobiography Prize with the first volume of his autobiography, "My Manchester United Years". Duncan Hamilton's book about legendary Nottingham Forest manager, Brian Clough - "Provided You Don't Kiss Me" - won the William Hill Sports Book Award last year, and has now picked up the prize for Best Football Book. Ex-Prime Minister, John Major won in the Best Cricket Book category with, "More Than a Game: The Story of Cricket's Early Years". There were wins too for Rugby's Andy Ripley ("Ripley's World: The Rugby Icon's Ultimate Victory Over Cancer") and "Goodbye Gay Meadow" - an illustrated view of the home of Shrewsbury Town Football Club over the one hundred years before it closed its gates for the last time in 2007.Read more about all category winnersOr visit the British Sports Book Awards website
The longlist for the 2008 Orwell Prize for political writing has just been published. It contains 18 books from a record submission of 181 and contains some well known figures from the UK political scene. Alastair Campbell's diary, "The Blair Years" is joined by William Hague's book about the anti-slave campaigner, William Wilberforce. Also included is political journalist Andrew Marr's book, "A History of Modern Britain" - derived from his BBC television documentary show of the same name.Read more about all nomineesOr visit the Orwell Prize website
Two competing Music Awards shows from the UK took place in quick succession this month. The Brit Awards were held on 20th February and were followed eight days later by the NME Music Awards. Clear winners at the NME Music Awards were Arctic Monkeys who picked up "Best British Band" as well as two other awards. They also picked up two awards at the Brits - as did Foo Fighters and Take That.Read more about all awards at the 2008 NME Music AwardsOr visit the NME Awards website
Pillow Talk by Freya North won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Chosen by the Romantic Novelists' Association from a short-list of six, Pillow Talk is about the lives of two teenage sweethearts who meet again after many years apart.Read more about the Romantic Novel of the YearOr visit the Romantic Novelists' Association website
The short-list for the 2007 British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Awards were announced this week. The six books up for the main award - the Best Science Fiction Novel - are: Brasyl by Ian McDonald, Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot, The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds, The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod, Black Man by Richard Morgan and The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. The winner will be announced towards the end of March.Read more about the BSFA AwardsOr visit the BSFA website
A.L. Kennedy won the Costa Book of the Year for 2007 with her novel, "Day". Set during World War II this fascinating work describes in vivid detail the life of a young tail gunner, Alfie Day.
Read more about "Day"Or visit the Costa Awards website
A most unusual winner of the 2008 Newbery Award was announced this week. "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! : Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz, is a series of 21 small stories - monologues and dialogues - direct from Thirteenth Century England. The Newbery Medal is one of the most prestigious awards for Children's books in the US.Read more about Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!Or visit the Newbery Medal website
Nominations for the Brits were announced this week, with long-term favourites in the UK, Take That picking up four nominations. Mika and Leona Lewis, the winner of tv's X-Factor, were also nominated in three categories each. The winners will be announced on 20th February at a televised ceremony in London.Read more about all nomineesOr visit the Brit Awards website
The winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry 2007 was announced as Sean O'Brien for his collection, "The Drowned Book". A truly outstanding work, it was also awarded the Forward Poetry Prize, Best Collection in 2007. Sean O'Brien - also Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne - was the Chair of Judges for the 2006 T.S. Eliot Prize, won by Seamus Heaney.Read more about the winner and the other short-listed worksOr visit T.S. Eliot Award website
