Chloe Dalton’s Raising Hare (Canongate Books) has been named the 2025 Wainwright Prize Book of the Year, the world’s leading literary award for nature and conservation writing.
The winner of the 2025 Wainwright Children’s Prize Book of the Year has been awarded to Lanisha Butterfield, who is also a debut author, and illustrator Hoang Giang, for Flower Block (Puffin Books).
The winners of the 2025 Wainwright Prize have been at FarmED, a not-for-profit centre in Oxfordshire. The two overall winning books received a prize of £2,500.
Dalton has also won the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, while the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing has been awarded to Guy Shrubsole for The Lie of the Land (William Collins). The Wainwright Prize for Illustrative Books has been awarded to Feed the Planet by George Steinmetz with Joel K Bourne Jr, and Michael Pollan (Abrams).
Brogen Murphy has won the Children’s Wainwright Prize for Fiction for Wildlands (Puffin Books), and the Children’s Wainwright Prize for Non-Fiction has been awarded to University of Cambridge: Think Big: Secrets of Bees by Ben Hoare, illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti (Nosy Crow). The Children’s Wainwright Prize for Picture Books has gone to Flower Block by Butterfield, illustrated by Giang (Puffin Books).
The category winners were each awarded £500 per book.
The judging chairs for each category this year included author and bookshop owner Luke Sherlock, biologist and Natural History Museum podcast host Dr Khalil Thirlaway, author and ecologist Lee Schofield, evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Ella Al-Shamahi, children’s writer Uju Asika, and Blue Peter presenter Mwaka “Mwaksy” Mudenda.
The overall winners were chosen by an executive panel, including Wainwright Prize director Alastair Giles and subject specialists, drawing on recommendations of the category judging panels.
Sherlock, judging chair for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, chose Dalton’s “soulful” debut as that category’s winner. “A whole new audience will be inspired by the intimate storytelling of Chloe Dalton,” he said. “Raising Hare is a warm and welcoming book that invites readers to discover the joy and magic of the natural world. As gripping and poignant as a classic novel, there is little doubt this will be read for years and decades to come.”
Meanwhile, Mudenda, judging chair for the Children’s Wainright Prize for Picture Books, described Flower Block as “a beautifully told story brought to life by stunning artwork that kept me engaged from start to finish”. She added: “I loved the rich diversity of characters throughout the book – a reminder of the beauty in our differences and the strength of community. Jeremiah’s wish at the beginning also speaks to the power of faith and hope, showing that with these two, much can happen, often more than we anticipate.”
Giles added: “Warmest congratulations to all our longlisted, shortlisted and winning authors and illustrators. This year’s entries demonstrate just how vital and vibrant nature writing has become – not only as a form of creative expression, but as a force for change. As environmental and social challenges grow ever more urgent, it’s inspiring to see writers of all ages and backgrounds using their voices to deepen our connection with the natural world.”