The Wainwright Prizes are the UK’s foremost awards celebrating nature, conservation, and environmental writing. Named in honour of Alfred Wainwright, writer, walker, and champion of the outdoors, the prizes were established in 2013 to spotlight the growing genre of nature writing and inspire readers to connect more deeply with the natural world.
What began as a single prize has since grown in reach and ambition. Following the popularity of the original award, new categories were introduced for global conservation writing and children’s books. In 2025, the Wainwright Prizes expanded further in response to the exceptional range and quality of submissions, particularly in children’s publishing.
Now comprising six distinct categories, including a new prize for illustrative books and dedicated awards for children’s fiction, non-fiction, and picture books, the Wainwright Prizes continue to evolve, celebrating the storytellers helping us to better understand our place in the natural world and the urgent need to protect it.
The Legacy
The Wainwright Prize is named in honour of Alfred Wainwright, the much-loved British author, illustrator, and fellwalker best known for his iconic Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. Published between 1955 and 1966 by Frances Lincoln, now an imprint of the Quarto Publishing Group, these hand-drawn, meticulously detailed guides chart 214 fells in the English Lake District and have become treasured reference works for generations of walkers and nature lovers.
Affectionately known as “AW,” Wainwright passed away in 1991, but his legacy lives on. His guides remain in print and continue to inspire thousands to explore the natural world with curiosity, reverence, and a sense of wonder, values that lie at the heart of the Wainwright Prizes.
Behind The Prizes
The prize was initially conceived in 2013 by Frances Lincoln, publishers of Alfred Wainwright’s beloved fellwalking guides. Since its inception, the prize has been managed by Agile, an independent literary marketing agency, with Alastair Giles serving as Prize Director in 2024.
Over the years, the prize has been supported by a range of valued sponsors, including James Cropper PLC, Thwaites, Marston’s Brewery (producers of the Wainwright Golden Beer), the Alfred Wainwright Estate, The National Trust and the Quarto Group. Today, the prize’s promotional and publicity campaign is self-financed by promotional levies from publishers with shortlisted titles.
Agile continues to lead the project, working in collaboration with a wide network of partners such as The Wildlife Trusts, The National Trust, The RSPB, The Wainwright Society, and many others who share a passion for nature, writing, and the great outdoors.
Affectionately known as “AW,” Wainwright passed away in 1991, but his legacy lives on. His guides remain in print and continue to inspire thousands to explore the natural world with curiosity, reverence, and a sense of wonder, values that lie at the heart of the Wainwright Prizes.