CBI Book of the Year Awards
The CBI Book of the Year Awards, previously known as the Bisto Book of the Year Awards, are literary awards presented annually in the Republic of Ireland to writers and illustrators of books for children and young people. The Awards are run by Children's Books Ireland and are open to authors and illustrators born or resident in Ireland; books may be written in English or Irish. Many bestselling, internationally renowned authors have won a "Bisto", including Eoin Colfer, John Boyne and several times winner Kate Thompson.
The awards were sponsored by Bisto from their inception.
First awarded in 1990, prizes are awarded in three categories:
- CBI Book of the Year Award
- Eilís Dillon Award for a First Children's Book, named in honour of writer Eilís Dillon
- three Merit Awards, which in 2012 were:
- *Judges' Special Recognition Award
- *CBI Honour Award for Illustration
- *CBI Honour Award for Writing
In 2010, the Children's Choice award was introduced to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bisto Book of the Year Awards. It was chosen by 10 Junior Juries from all around Ireland, and was awarded to Jane Mitchell's Chalkline. The Judges' Special Recognition Award was not awarded in 2010.
Past winners
Source: Children's Books IrelandBook of the Year Award
| Year | Title | Author | Publisher |
| 2018 | Tangleweed and Brine | Deirdre Sullivan and Karen Vaughan | Little Island Books |
| 2017 | Goodnight Everyone | Chris Haughton | Walker Books |
| 2016 | One | Sarah Crossan | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| 2015 | Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters | Oliver Jeffers | Philomel |
| 2014 | Hagwitch | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Orion Children's Books |
| 2013 | Grounded | Sheena Wilkinson | Fitzhenry & Whiteside |
| 2012 | Into the Grey | Celine Kiernan | O'Brien Press |
| 2011 | A Bit Lost | Chris Haughton | Walker Books |
| 2010 | There | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Roaring Book Press |
| 2009 | Bog Child | Siobhán Dowd | David Fickling |
| 2008 | The London Eye Mystery | Siobhán Dowd | David Fickling |
| 2007 | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | John Boyne | David Fickling |
| 2006 | The New Policeman | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2005 | Annan Water | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2004 | Wings Over Delft | Aubrey Flegg | O'Brien Press |
| 2003 | You, Me and the Big Blue Sea | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Gullane |
| 2003 | The Alchemist's Apprentice | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2002 | The Beguilers | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2001 | Izzy and Skunk | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Blackwater Press |
| 2000 | Faraway Home | Marilyn Taylor | O'Brien Press |
| 1999 | Tales of Wisdom and Wonder | Niamh Sharkey | Barefoot Books |
| 1998 | Dream Invader | Gerard Whelan | O'Brien Press |
| 1997 | Sisters... No Way! | Siobhán Parkinson | O'Brien Press |
| 1996 | The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey | P. J. Lynch | Poolbeg Press |
| 1995 | Blaeberry Sunday | Elizabeth O'Hara | Poolbeg Press |
| 1994 | When Stars Stop Spinning | Jane Mitchell | Poolbeg Press |
| 1993 | The Blue Horse | Marita Conlon-McKenna | O'Brien Press |
| 1992 | The Summer of Lily and Esme | John Quinn | Poolbeg Press |
| 1991 | The Island of Ghosts | Eilís Dillon | Faber and Faber |
Merit Awards
| Year | Title | Winner | Publisher |
| 2018 | Chocolate Cake | Kevin Waldron, illustrator | Puffin Books |
| 2018 | Star by Star | Sheena Wilkinson | Little Island Books |
| 2018 | Illegal | Eoin Colfer | Hodder |
| 2017 | Goodnight Everyone | Chris Haughton, illustrator | Walker Books |
| 2017 | Needlework | Deirdre Sullivan | Little Island Books |
| 2017 | Bliain na nAmhrán | Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin, Jennifer Farley, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tarsila Krüse, Christina O'Donovan | Futa Futa |
| 2016 | Gulliver | Lauren O'Neill, illustrator | The O'Brien Press |
| 2016 | Asking For It | Louise O'Neill | Quercus |
| 2016 | Irelandopedia | Fatti Burke & John Burke | Gill |
| 2015 | Shh! We Have a Plan | Chris Haughton, illustrator | Candlewick Press |
| 2015 | Daideo | Áine Ní Ghlinn | Cois Life |
| 2015 | Haiku más é do thoil é! | Gabriel Rosenstock & Brian Fitzgerald | An Gúm |
| 2014 | The Mysterious Traveller | P. J. Lynch | Walker Books |
| 2014 | The Sleeping Baobab Tree | Paula Leyden | Walker Books |
| 2014 | The Day the Crayons Quit | Oliver Jeffers, illustrator | HarperCollins |
| 2013 | This Moose Belongs to Me | Oliver Jeffers | HarperCollins |
| 2013 | Dark Warning | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Orion |
| 2013 | Hóng | Anna Heussaff | Cló lar-Chonnacht |
| 2012 | Stuck | Oliver Jeffers | HarperCollins |
| 2012 | The Butterfly Heart | Paula Leyden | Walker Books |
| 2012 | Maitríóisce | Siobhán Parkinson | Cois Life |
| 2011 | The Heart and the Bottle | Oliver Jeffers | Philomel |
| 2011 | Mac Rí Eireann | Andrew Whitson | New Island Books |
| 2011 | Taking Flight | Sheena Wilkinson | Walker Books |
| 2010 | Solace of the Road | Siobhán Dowd | David Fickling |
| 2010 | There | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Roaring Book Press |
| 2010 | Chalkline | Jane Mitchell | Walker Books |
| 2009 | Highway Robbery | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2009 | The Great Paper Caper | Oliver Jeffers | Harper Collins |
| 2009 | Creature of the Night | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2008 | The Black Book of Secrets | F. E. Higgins | Macmillan |
| 2008 | The Way Back Home | Oliver Jeffers | Harper Collins |
| 2008 | Wilderness | Roddy Doyle | Scholastic |
| 2007 | The Incredible Book-Eating Boy | Oliver Jeffers | Harper Collins |
| 2007 | Hurlamaboc | Éilís Ní Dhuibhne | Cois Life |
| 2007 | Something Invisible | Siobhán Parkinson | Penguin |
| 2006 | Lost and Found | Oliver Jeffers | Harper Collins |
| 2006 | A Horse Called El Dorado | Kevin Kiely | O'Brien Press |
| 2006 | Penny the Pencil | Eileen O'Hely | Mercier Press |
| 2005 | Something Beginning with P | Corrina Askin, Alan Clarke and Emma Byrne | O'Brien Press |
| 2005 | How to Catch a Star | Oliver Jeffers | Harper Collins |
| 2005 | The Gods and their Machines | Oisín McGann | O'Brien Press |
| 2004 | Origins | Kate Thompson | The Bodley Head |
| 2004 | You Can Do It Sam | Anita Jeram | Walker Books |
| 2004 | The Ravenous Beast | Niamh Sharkey | Walker Books |
| 2003 | Fox | Matthew Sweeney and Colmán Ó Raghallaigh | Bloomsbury |
| 2003 | An Tóraíocht | The Cartoon Saloon | Cló Mhaigh Eo |
| 2003 | War Children | Gerard Whelan | O'Brien Press |
| 2002 | Artemis Fowl | Eoin Colfer | Puffin |
| 2002 | Caught on a Train | Carlo Gébler | Egmont |
| 2002 | An Sclábhaí | Colmán Ó Raghallaigh | Cló Mhaigh Eo |
| 2001 | The Wish List | Eoin Colfer | O'Brien Press |
| 2001 | Dirt Tracks | Martina Murphy | Poolbeg Press |
| 2001 | The Orchard Book of Ghostly Stories | Martin Waddell | Orchard Press |
| 2000 | Siúloid Bhreá | Mary Arrigan | An Gúm |
| 2000 | Fierce Milly | Marilyn McLaughlin | Egmont |
| 2000 | Silent Stones | Mark O'Sullivan | Wolfhound Press |
| 1999 | The Long March | Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick | Wolfhound Press |
| 1999 | The Moon King | Siobhán Parkinson | O'Brien Press |
| 1999 | An Rógaire agus a Scáil | Gabriel Rosenstock | An Gúm |
| 1998 | The Hungry Wind | Soinbhe Lally | Poolbeg Press |
| 1998 | When Jessie Came Across the Sea | P. J. Lynch | Poolbeg Press |
| 1998 | Four Kids, Three Cats, Two Cows, One Witch | Siobhán Parkinson | O'Brien Press |
| 1997 | An Eala Dubh | Cliodhna Cussen and Cormac Ó Snodaigh | Coiscéim |
| 1997 | The Lantern Moon | Maeve Friel | Poolbeg Press |
| 1997 | The Guns of Easter | Gerard Whelan | O'Brien Press |
| 1996 | Hannah or Pink Balloons | Mary Beckett | Marino Books |
| 1996 | Sceoin sa Bhoireann | Ré Ó Laighléis | Cló Iar-Chonnachta |
| 1996 | Lockie and Dadge | Frank Murphy | O'Brien Press |
| 1995 | Goodbye Summer, Goodbye | Rose Doyle | Attic Press |
| 1995 | Catkin | P. J. Lynch | Poolbeg Press |
| 1995 | Ecstasy agus Scéalta Eile | Ré Ó Laighléis | Cló Iar-Chonnachta |
| 1994 | The Chieftain's Daughter | Sam McBratney | O'Brien Press |
| 1994 | The Hiring Fair | Elizabeth O'Hara | Poolbeg Press |
| 1994 | The Pony Express | Máirín Johnston | Attic Press |
Éilís Dillon Award for a First Children's Book
Awards in discontinued categories
- Best Emerging Author – Brian Boru by Morgan Llywelyn, O'Brien Press
- Book for Young Readers – Grandma's Bill by Martin Waddell, Simon and Schuster
- Illustration – Fairy Tales of Ireland by P. J. Lynch, Collins
- Historical Fiction – Wildflower Girl by Marita Conlon-McKenna, O'Brien Press
- Picture Book – The Sleeping Giant by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Brandon Books
- First Children's Novel – The Secret of the Ruby Ring by Yvonne MacGrory, Children's Press
- Information Book – Tamall sa Chistin by Mairin Uí Chomain, An Gúm
- Teenage Fiction – Put a Saddle on the Pig by Sam McBratney, Methuen
- Historical Fiction – Strongbow by Morgan Llywelyn, O'Brien Press
Bisto Children's Book of the Decade (1980–1990)
Run with the Wind;
Run to Earth;
Run Swift; Run Free
by Tom McCaughren, Jeanette Dunne
Information Books:
Exploring the Book of Kells:
Brendan the Navigator
by George Otto Simms, David Rooney
Books for Young Readers: Grandma's Bill by Martin Waddell, illus. Jane Johnson
Irish Language:
An Chanáil
by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, transl. Bernadine Nic Ghiolla Phádraig An Gúm
Winners of multiple awards
- Most Bisto Book of the Year Awards: Kate Thompson, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Siobhán Dowd, Chris Haughton
- Most Merit Awards: Oliver Jeffers, Kate Thompson, P. J. Lynch
- Most Bisto Awards : Oliver Jeffers, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Kate Thompson, P. J. Lynch, Gerard Whelan, Siobhán Dowd, Chris Haughton, Siobhán Parkinson, Éilis Ni Dhuibhne/Elizabeth O'Hara