The Irish Book Awards are awards given every year to books and authors in different categories. These awards are supported by all bookstores in Ireland. The main supporter is An Post, which is the postal service owned by the government of Ireland.
History
The Irish Book Awards were first given in 2006. They started from the Hughes & Hughes bookstore's Irish Novel of the Year Prize, which began in 2003. From 2007, the Awards became an independent nonprofit organization supported by sponsors. Bord Gáis Energy sponsored the Awards from 2012 to 2018. In 2018, An Post began sponsoring the Awards instead.
Description
In 2025, there are about 20 awards. Some are decided by the Irish Literary Academy, and others are chosen by public voting. Three awards are given for books written for children and young adults. There is also an award that honors a person's lifetime of achievements.
Awards
- Novel of the Year
- Best Crime Fiction Book of the Year
- Best Popular Fiction Book of the Year
- Children's Book of the Year for Younger Readers
- Children's Book of the Year for Older Readers
- Best Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year
- Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year
- Best Cookbook of the Year
- Best Sports Book of the Year
- Newcomer of the Year
- Best Irish Language Book of the Year
- Best Lifestyle Book of the Year
- Best Biography of the Year
- Best Book Published in Ireland of the Year
- Best Short Story of the Year
- Best Poem of the Year
- The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award
- New Voices: The An Post Writing Prize
- Best Bookshop of the Year
- Best Author of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- International Recognition Award (last awarded in 2020)
- RTÉ Audience/Listeners' Choice Award (last awarded in 2021)
- Best Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year (last awarded in 2020)
Since 2011, one of the books that won an award has been chosen as the overall Irish Book of the Year.
Winners
Book of the Year winners are marked with a blue ribbon ( ).
The Hughes & Hughes Award was started in 2000 by Hughes & Hughes. It continued until 2005, when it joined the Irish Book Awards and became the Irish Novel category.
- 2003: That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern
- 2004: Dancer by Colum McCann
- 2005: Havoc in its Third Year by Ronan Bennett
Later, the Children's Book category was divided into two separate categories: Junior and Senior.
The 2014 awards took place on 26 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin.
The 2015 awards took place on 25 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin.
The 2016 awards, sponsored by Bord Gáis Energy, were held on 16 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin. The ceremony was hosted by Keelin Shanley.
On 14 December, Solar Bones by Mike McCormack was named Ireland's best book of 2016. It was selected by readers through a public vote from the list of category winners.
The 2017 awards, sponsored by Bord Gáis Energy, were held on 28 November at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin. The ceremony was hosted by Keelin Shanley and Evelyn O'Rourke from RTÉ.
The 2018 awards, sponsored by An Post, were held on 27 November at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin. The ceremony was hosted by Keelin Shanley from RTÉ, and each winning author was interviewed by Evelyn O'Rourke.
Notes to Self by Emilie Pine was voted the An Post Irish Book of the Year for 2018.
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 choose the winners in each category.
The winner of the An Post Irish Book of the Year was Overcoming by Vicky Phelan and Naomi Linehan.
The 2020 awards ceremony was held online 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 the Irish Book of the Year in December 2020.
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 the Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour television special on RTÉ One.
The awards ceremony was broadcast online on 23 November 2022.
On 7 December, My Fourth Time, We Drowned was announced as the Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour television special on RTÉ One.
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.
The 2024 winners were announced on 27 November, again at the Convention Centre.
The 2025 winners were announced on 27 November.