The Costa First Novel Award

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The Costa Book Awards are some of the most prestigious British literary awards. They were launched in 1971 as the Whitbread Literary Awards, which became the Whitbread Book Awards in 1985. Costa Coffee took over sponsorship in 2006. The First Novel Award receives £5,000. The 2021 Costa Book Awards held in February 2022 was the 50th and final awards. Visit the Costa Book Awards site for more information.

See the other Costa Book Awards category winners and all the other literary prize winners we list.

2021

• Open Water Caleb Azumah Nelson Winner
• The Manningtree Witches A.K. Blakemore
• Fault Lines Emily Itami
  
• The Stranding Kate Sawyer

2020

• Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud Winner
• Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen
• The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain
• All the Water in the World by Karen Raney

2019

• The Confessions of Frannie Langton Sara Collins Winner
• Diary of a Somebody Brian Bilston
• Queenie Candice Carty-Williams
• The Other Half of Augusta Hope Joanna Glen

2018

• The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Stuart Turton Winner
• Pieces of Me Natalie Hart
• An Unremarkable Body Elisa Lodato
• Meet Me at the Museum Anne Youngson

2017

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman Winner
• The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times Xan Brooks
• Montpelier Parade Karl Geary
• The Haunting of Henry Twist Rebecca F. John

2016

• Golden Hill Francis Spufford Winner
• The Good Guy Susan Beale
• My Name is Leon Kit de Waal
• The Words in My Hand Guinevere Glasfurd

2015

• The Loney Andrew Michael Hurley Winner
• Spill simmer falter wither Sara Baume
• The girl in the red coat Kate Hamer
• Things we have in common Tasha Kavanagh

2014

• Elizabeth is missing Emma Healey Winner
• A song for Issy Bradley Carys Bray
• Academy Street Mary Costello
• Chop chop Simon Wroe

2013

• The shock of the fall Nathan Filer Winner (also Book of the Year)
  
• Idiopathy Sam Byers
• Meeting the English Kate Clanchy
• Marriage material Sathnam Sanghera

2012

• The innocents Francesca Segal Winner
• The notable brain of Maximilian Ponder J. W. Ironmonger
• Snake ropes Jess Richards
• The Bellwether revivals Benjamin Wood

2011

• Tiny sunbirds far away Christie Watson Winner

2010

• Witness the night Kishwar Desai Winner

2009

• Beauty Raphael Selbourne Winner

2008

• The outcast Sadie Jones Winner

2007

• What was lost Catherine O'Flynn Winner

2006

• The tenderness of wolves Stef Penney Winner (also Book of the Year)