“Nobody’s Girl” wins Book of the Year at British Book Awards

Nobody’s Girl (Doubleday), the posthumous memoir by the late Australia-based author Virginia Roberts Giuffre, co-written with Amy Wallace, was the overall Book of the Year winner at the 2026 British Book Awards (also known as the Nibbies).

Nobody’s Girl was also awarded Nonfiction Narrative Book of the Year, and was joint winner, with Careless People (Macmillan) by Aotearoa New Zealand author Sarah Wynn-Williams, of the Award for Freedom to Publish.

Careless People also won for Audiobook: Nonfiction Book of the Year.

The winners in each category, chosen from shortlists announced earlier this year, were:

Overall Book of the Year

• Nobody’s Girl (Virginia Roberts Giuffre, co-written by Amy Wallace, Doubleday)

Author of the Year

• AF Steadman

Illustrator of the Year

• Dav Pilkey

Fiction

• Boleyn Traitor (Philippa Gregory, HarperCollins)

Debut Fiction

• The Names (Florence Knapp, Phoenix)

Nonfiction: Narrative

• Nobody’s Girl (Virginia Roberts Giuffre, co-written by Amy Wallace, Doubleday)

Nonfiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated

• Forgotten Churches (Luke Sherlock, Frances Lincoln)

Crime & Thriller

• A Case of Mice and Murder (Sally Smith, Bloomsbury)

Discover

• The Mercy Step (Marcia Hutchinson, Cassava Republic Press)

Audiobook: Fiction

• Cursed Daughters (Oyinkan Braithwaite, narrated by Weruche Opia, Diana Yekinni and Nnei Opia Clark, WF Howes)

Audiobook: Nonfiction

• Careless People (Sarah Wynn-Williams, Macmillan)

Science Fiction & Fantasy

• Alchemised (SenLinYu, Michael Joseph)

Romantic Fiction

• Great Big Beautiful Life (Emily Henry, Viking)

Graphic Novel

• Bunny vs Monkey: Intergalactic Monkey Business! (Jamie Smart, David Fickling Books)

Children’s Fiction

• Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins, Scholastic)

Children’s Nonfiction Illustrated

• Oh Dear, Look What I Got! (Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, Walker Books)

The BBC Radio 2 Book Club Award

• Nesting (Roisín O’Donnell, S&S).

Philip Jones, editor of the Bookseller and chair of the judges, said: “Our winners represent the very best of the book trade, standing up for the books and the authors when others would try to stand them down. The British Book Awards affirms our creatives, our entertainers and our truth-tellers, and we applaud those who did so much to bring their work to the public. In 2025 the importance of the book was manifest, it was a beacon to many and a heartbeat for all.”

Category: Awards International awards Local news