Sustainable Story Award

Last year, we launched the Sustainable Story Award to champion the stories that change how we see our world. Now in our second year — and open to the US for the first time — we're backing authors with a £25,000 prize pot to help them keep writing fearlessly. Because the best stories don't just get read. They get acted on.

Think your book could be a winner?

The Sustainable Story Award is free to enter. Here's what you need to know:

Who can enter: Authors, agents, and publishers
Categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children's
Eligibility: Books published between 28th July 2025 and 27th July 2026, available in the UK or US
Entry limit: One entry per book
Deadline: 31st August 2026

Submit Your Entry

2025 Winners

Discover last year's winners below and find out more about their sustainable stories

Overall Winners Non-Fiction: Eleanor & Oona Dooks

Award-winning novelist Eleanor Dooks and her daughter Oona, a competitive swimmer, co-wrote this memoir exploring their journey along the British coast. Blending travelogue with marine ecology, Sea Legs investigates ocean sustainability, disabled marine life, and how our relationship with the sea shapes who we are. Out soon!

Fiction Winner & Runner Up: Annabelle Sami

Annabelle Sami has written 12 children's books and works across theatre and the arts championing underrepresented voices. The Ayah's Home weaves together two timelines—1905 Calcutta and present-day Hackney—following an Ayah's journey and the discovery of a historical home that transforms everything.

Children's Winner & Runner Up: Wren James

Carnegie-longlisted author Wren James is a bestselling YA novelist, story consultant on Netflix's Heartstopper, and founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League. Anarchy on the Atlantic Express is a near-future mystery set on the maiden voyage of the first transatlantic eco-friendly train, where a teen investigates a shocking break-in.

"We're investing in authors whose stories shape our understanding of the global climate emergency, and the people and movements working to protect our environment."

- Dan Mucha, CEO

Enter Your Book

Submissions are now open for authors across the UK and US. Enter by August 31, 2026.

Submit Your Entry

2026 Judges

This year’s judging panel brings together voices from across publishing, sustainability and literature.

Eleanor Dooks

Eleanor Dooks won the inaugural World of Books Sustainable Story Award alongside her daughter. An award-winning author, her debut novel The Tin-Kin won the New Writing Ventures Award and the Saltire First Book of the Year Award. (Photo by Alicia Bruce)

Elizabeth Laird

Elizabeth Laird is an award-winning author of novels, picture books and folktale collections. Shortlisted six times for the Carnegie Medal, her books have been translated into over 25 languages, and she is also a judge of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Karla Olson

Karla Olson is the Director of Books at Patagonia, which publishes books as mission outreach and strives to lead sustainability standards in publishing. With over 30 years in the industry, she is the past chair of IBPA and owner of BookStudio, a publishing consultancy.

Matthew Phillips

Matt Phillips is Deputy MD of the adult division at Bonnier Books UK, with over twenty years in publishing including roles at Penguin Random House. A non-fiction specialist, he has published bestsellers and award-winners, won the World of Books IPG Sustainability Award, and was nominated for Editor of the Year at the Bookseller Industry Awards.

Michele Cobb

Publisher of independent audiobook company MMB Media; Executive Producer of the award-winning Stories of Impact Podcast; Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, IBPA. (Photo by Max Flatow)

Dr Will McDowell

Dr Will McDowall is an Associate Professor of Innovation and Sustainability at UCL, with over 50 published papers and contributions to the IPCC's global climate assessment. In 2025 he published his first children's book on climate change, Your Planet Needs You: Brilliant Jobs to Protect Your World.

sustainable story awards

How It Works

Prize & Winnings

The Sustainable Story Award celebrates authors whose work makes sustainability part of the conversation - and backs them with real support. The prize includes a £15,000 bursary (or $15,000 for US-based winners) for the overall winner, two runner-up bursaries of £5,000 (or $5,000) each.

Entry Requirements

The award is open across three categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction and Children's Books.

Agents, authors and publishers can all submit - it's completely free to enter, and open to debut and established authors alike.

Submissions close 31st August 2026. Your entry should include a breif explanation of how the work connects to sustainability. Books must have been published between 28th July 2025 and 27th July 2026, and be available in either the UK or US.

One entry per book - if your book is available in both markets, you only need to enter once.

Judging Process

A panel of distinguished publishing leaders, authors and sustainability advocates will select the winners, ensuring the most powerful and thought-provoking works receive recognition.

Our 2026 judging panel includes Eleanor Dooks, 2025 Sustainable Story Award winner and author of Sea Legs; Matthew Phillips, Deputy Managing Director of the Adult Division at Bonnier Books UK and winner of the 2025 World of Books IPG Sustainability Award; Elizabeth Laird, award-winning children's author; Dr Will McDowall, Associate Professor of Innovation and Sustainability at UCL's Institute for Sustainable Resources; and Michelle Cobb, audio and independent publishing consultant.

Key Dates

Submissions close: 31st August 2026

Shortlist announced: September 2026

Winners announced: 20th October 2026

FAQs

Can unpublished authors enter?

This award is for published works, so your book needs to have been published between 28th July 2025 and 27th July 2026

Can I submit more than one book?

You can - one entry per published work. If you've got several eligible books, submit them all.

Do I need to enter separately for UK and US?

No. If a book is submitted more than once, only the first entry will be considered.

Will there be separate UK and US winners?

One winner and two runners-up will be chosen globally. UK-based winners receive their bursary in GBP (£); US-based winners receieve the equivalent in USD ($).

Are co-authored works allowed?

Yes - just make sure this is noted on the submission form.

Who can enter?

Authors, agents, or publishers can submit works published in the UK or US within the eligibility window.

What counts as a "sustainable" story?

A sustainable story explores themes related to ecological, social, or community sustainability. It can be fiction or non-fiction, and might reflect sustainability through its central message, the world it imagines, or the issues it confronts. What matters most is that the story contributes meaningfully to conversations about building a more resilient future.

That might look like ecological sustainability (climate change, biodiversity, resource management, or the consequences of environmental neglect), social sustainability (justice, equality, rights, and the systems that shape how we live together), or community sustainability (local resilience, collective action, belonging, and what it takes to build stronger communities). The strongest entries approach these themes with originality, clarity, and purpose — inviting readers to reflect, question, and act.