British Book Awards 2025 shortlists announced

Percival Everett, Saara El-Arifi, Musih Tedji Xaviere, and Zeinab Badawi are on the British Book Awards 2025 shortlists announced in London, UK on Friday, March 7, 2025.

The British Book Awards or Nibbies, fronted by The Bookseller, celebrate the literary and publishing industry in the United Kingdom. They showcase the author, illustrators, and the industry practitioners who bring the books that bedazzle bibliophiles in the European nation since the first edition in 1990. They are judged by leading industry experts, authors, journalists, and celebrities, thus regarded as ‘the BAFTAs of the book trade’. In 2020, Bernardine Evaristo, Candice Carty-Williams, and Oyinkan Braithwaite were among the winners while David Olusoga was a winner in 2021. Caleb Azumah Nelson, Marcus Rashford with Carl Anka, Jade LB, and Dapo Adeola won in 2022 while Atinuke and Kingsley Nebechi triumphed in 2024.

The shortlists in the different categories for the 2025 were announced on Friday, March 7.

Philip Jones, chair of The British Book Awards judges, said, “The British Book Awards shortlists showcase all of the talents: books nurtured by their authors, amplified by their publishers, shepherded by booksellers, and loved by readers. In these lists we see the contours of the year past and of the months to come, we see books that reflect, represent and reveal the world around us. These writers and illustrators thrill, challenge, inform, shock, and entertain in equal measure – I am in total admiration and, yes, awe of the all-hands effort that creates such success.’

The writers of African descent who made the shortlist are;

Author of the Year

• Percival Everett (Picador, Pan Macmillan)

Book of the Year: Fiction

• James, Percival Everett (Mantle, Pan Macmillan)

Book of the Year – Pageturner

• Faebound, Saara El-Arifi (HarperVoyager, HarperCollins UK)

Book of the Year: Discover

• These Letters End in Tears, Musih Tedji Xaviere (Jacaranda)
• An African History of Africa, Zeinab Badawi (WH Allen, Ebury)

Zeinab Badawi said, “I’m delighted to share that ‘An African History of Africa’ has been shortlisted for the #BritishBookAwards Book of the Year in the Discover category. I’m so pleased to help share the spectacular history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet. Thank you for all your support.”

Musih Tedji Xaviere said, “My novel has been shortlisted for THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS😌Still processing it all, but feeling incredibly grateful to be recognized alongside such amazing writers. A huge thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey—your support means everything!”

Saara El-Arifi said, “What a wonderful surprise to wake up to: #Faebound has been nominated for a British Book Award. I am so chuffed this book of mine is still making little ripples. I wrote it on a wave of chaos and nothing has stood still since then. Look at the competition! Look at my name up there with them! How is this LIFE. Dizzying! Spinning! Happy!”

The winners will be unveiled at a Grosvenor House, London ceremony on Monday, May 12, 2025.