The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. The primary sponsor is An Post, the state owned postal service in Ireland.

History

First awarded in 2006, the Irish Book Awards grew out of the Hughes & Hughes bookstore's Irish Novel of the Year Prize, which was inaugurated in 2003. Since 2007 the Awards have been an independent not-for-profit company funded by sponsorship. Bord Gáis Energy sponsored the awards from 2012 until 2018, when An Post took over sponsorship.

Description

There are currently nine categories, seven of which are judged by the Irish Literary Academy, and two by a public vote. There is also a lifetime achievement award.

Awards

Current awards

Previous awards

An Post Irish Book of the Year

Since 2011, one of the award-winning books has been selected as the overall Irish Book of the Year.

Winners

Book of the Year winners are indicated with a blue ribbon.

2003–2005 (Hughes & Hughes Award / Irish Novel)

Inaugurated in 2000 by Hughes & Hughes, the Hughes & Hughes Award ran until 2005 when it merged with the Irish Book Awards and became the Irish Novel category.

2006

In subsequent years the Children's Book category was split into two award categories; Junior and Senior.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

The 2014 awards were presented on 26 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin.

2015

The 2015 awards were presented on 25 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin.

2016

The 2016 awards sponsored by Bord Gáis Energy were presented on 16 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin. The awards ceremony was presented by Keelin Shanley. On 14 December, Solar Bones by Mike McCormack was named as Ireland's best book of 2016. It was chosen by a public vote from the list of category winners below.

2017

The 2017 awards sponsored by Bord Gáis Energy were presented on 28 November at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin. The awards ceremony was presented by RTÉ's Keelin Shanley and Evelyn O'Rourke.

2018

The 2018 awards sponsored by An Post were presented on 27 November at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin. The awards ceremony was presented by RTÉ's Keelin Shanley while each winning author was interviewed Evelyn O'Rourke. Notes to Self by Emilie Pine was voted the An Post Irish Book of the Year for 2018.

2019

The 2019 awards ceremony was held in Dublin on 20 November 2019. The event was hosted by Miriam O'Callaghan and Evelyn O'Rourke. Over 115,000 votes were cast by readers to select the winners in each category. The winner of the An Post Irish Book of the Year was Overcoming by Vicky Phelan and Naomi Linehan.

2020

The 2020 awards ceremony was held virtually on 25 November 2020. A record number of votes were cast by the Irish public to select the winners in each category. A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa was announced as Irish Book of the Year in December 2020.

2021

The awards ceremony was broadcast online on 23 November 2021. On 8 December, We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958 was announced as Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour television special on RTÉ One.

2022

The awards ceremony was broadcast online on 25 November 2021. On 7 December, My Fourth Time, We Drowned was announced as Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour television special on RTÉ One.

2023

The awards were announced at a ceremony at Dublin's Convention Centre on 22 November 2023. The Book of the Year winner was The Bee Sting by Paul Murray which was announced on 6 December 2023.

2024

The 2024 winners were announced on 27 November, again in the Convention Centre.