As the shortlist is announced for Lakeland Book of the Year 2022, there are less than three weeks to go before it’s revealed who will follow in the footsteps of last year’s overall winner, restaurant critic and broadcaster Grace Dent.
Now in their 38th year, the Lakeland Book of the Year awards are open to new writers, as well as established authors. The only caveat is that they must feature Cumbria in some way and this year’s submissions highlight the huge variety of both the county and its literary talent.
Coverage Briefing
Covering almost every genre and subject, from local history and nature to stunning Cumbrian photography, this year’s entries have been narrowed down to a shortlist of 18, including:
The Bookends Prize for People & Business
More Deaths Than One (Ian Smith)
Panic as Man Burns Crumpets (Roger Lytollis)
Lowca (Geoff Stalker)
The Striding Edge Prize for Guides & Places
Walking The Line (Stan Abbott)
Peak Bagging: Wainwrights (Karen & Dan Parker)
Thirlmere Before the Dam (Ian Hall)
The Bill Rollinson Prize for Landscape & Tradition
Pele Towers of the Eden Valley (David Crackenthorpe)
Lakeland Wild (Jim Crumley)
The Lucks of Cumbria (Andrew Musgrave)
The Gilpin Hotel Prize for Fiction
The Storyteller’s Supper (Taffy Thomas)
Brockenspectre (Caroline Moir)
Collateral Damage (Ruth Sutton)
The Wordsworth Grasmere Prize for Literature & Poetry
Cumbria: A Book of Days (Dawn Robertson)
Tale Pieces (Stephen Matthews)
Grid – An Outside Inside Journey Through Cumbria (Mark Griffiths)
The Latitude Press Prize for Illustration & Presentation
The Best Lakeland Views: Book One Ullswater – Haweswater – Brotherswater, (Colin Hindle)
String of Pearls (Editor: Margaret Wilson/ Photographer: Helen Shaw)
Joss Naylor’s Lakes, Meres and Waters of the Lake District (Vivienne Crow with Joss Naylor)
The judging panel includes head judge and founder Hunter Davies OBE (prolific author and regular contributor to a range of national press outlets), Eric Robson OBE DL (broadcaster, former President of Cumbria Tourism and Chairman of The Wainwright Society) and Fiona Armstrong (ITV and BBC newscaster, author, journalist and Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries).
There are now less than three weeks until the winners are announced at a charity awards ceremony at Stonecross Manor in Kendal on Tuesday 12 July, with support from main event sponsors James Cropper PLC. One finalist will also be confirmed as the ultimate winner of Lakeland Book of the Year 2022.
This years annual ceremony is supporting local charity Women’s Community Matters. The charity offers a variety of one-to-one support, courses, activities, support groups and access to specialist services for vulnerable women and girls aged 12 and over, and to young men/boys aged 12-19.
Simon Hodson, Managing Director of Latitude Press, sponsors of the Latitude Press Prize for Illustration & Presentation says “The increasingly popular event showcases not only the talent of the authors but the diversity of local subjects, ranging from the stunning landscapes and important sustainability issues to local social history.
Based in Windermere, Latitude Press are proud to sponsor the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards. With a strong community of publishers and local authors, many of whom are known nationally, it’s an annual occasion we always look forward to.”
Former winner Suzanna Cruickshank who won The Striding Edge Prize for Guides & Places for her book Swimming Wild in the Lake District in 2021 adds, “Everyone knows the Lake District for its spectacular scenery and remote beauty, but the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards highlight the stories about other, often unseen, aspects that make this region so special.
“The authors who write about Cumbria – either through fiction or non-fiction – have a unique insight into the culture, history and landscape of the Lakes, and it’s a pleasure to be a part of the group sharing these narratives.”
Tickets are still on sale here for the 2022 Lakeland Book of the Year Awards.
