Irish Book Awards


The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. First awarded in 2006, they grew out of the Hughes & Hughes bookstore's Irish Novel of the Year Prize which was inaugurated in 2000. Since 2007 the Awards have been an independent not-for-profit company funded by sponsorship. The primary sponsor is An Post, the state owned postal service in Ireland. There are currently nine categories, seven of which are judged by the Irish Literary Academy, two by a public vote. There is also a lifetime achievement award.

Current awards

2000–2005 (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.
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The 2014 awards were presented on 26 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin.
The 2015 awards were presented on 25 November at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Dublin.
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.
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.
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.

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 is expected to be announced in January 2020.