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Amy Liptrot’s debut book has been named the winner of the prestigious award for Nature writing. The Outrun, her account of reconnecting with her native Orkney, beat five other titles to win the Wainwright Golden Beer Prize.
Dame Fiona Reynolds, chair of the judging panel, called The Outrun ‘brave and searingly honest’.
The book follows Amy Liptrot’s return to Orkney after more than a decade away in London. At the age of 30, Amy finds herself washed up back home, standing on an unstable cliff edge, trying to come to terms with all that has happened.
Spending early mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, and the days and nights tracking Orkney’s wildlife, she makes the slow journey towards redemption
‘I am so honoured and delighted to have been awarded The Wainwright Prize, especially in a year with such a strong shortlist. That the judging panel are independent of sponsor influence speaks highly of both the Prize and Wainwright Golden Beer, and I hope their association continues to bring works of nature writing to a wider readership.’
AMY LIPTROT
Author of The Outrun
Having earned considerable critical acclaim, The Outrun was a unanimous choice of the judges, despite an extraordinarily strong shortlist that spotlighted the continued resurgence of Nature and travel writing in the UK and the staggering breadth of personal issues explored through the genre.
Six authors were shortlisted for the prize:
‘We felt bowled over by the quality of the entries this year and this year’s shortlist is the best yet. We struggled with the task of judging it and although our winner was our unanimous choice we were torn by the process and commend all the shortlisted authors for their contributions.’
FIONA REYNOLDS
Chair of judges for the Wainwright Prize
Now in its third year, the Wainwright Golden Beer Prize awards £5,000 annually to the work that best reflects renowned Nature writer Alfred Wainwright’s core values of celebrating the great British outdoors.
Click here to buy The Outrun from Canongate.
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