Nominations reached a record high this year in the fifth Diverse Book Awards. With a new category of Picture Books added to the line-up, almost 200 books were submitted across the awards covering Children’s, Young Adult and Adult Fiction.

Following a hugely successful prize in 2023, The Diverse Book Awards, created by publishing entrepreneurs Abiola Bello (award-winning author of multiple books, most recently The Love Dare) and Helen Lewis (prize-winning publicist and director at LitPR), continues to evolve to become ever more inclusive and interactive, and is proudly celebrating its FIFTH edition.

For the second year running, readers in schools, libraries, book clubs, and homes across the country, voted for their number one winner in each of the four longlisted categories as part of The Readers’ Choice Award. Votes closed at midnight on 11th September 2024. The winners will be confirmed at the awards party on October 10th at Waterstones Piccadilly in London.

Teachers, booksellers and librarians continue to express their support for this wonderful addition to The Diverse Book Awards, as a way of encouraging people to support the full longlist – and to help shine a spotlight on the longlisted books and authors/illustrators for longer.

Today, as the fifth Diverse Book Awards shortlist is officially revealed, the hope is that the lists will continue to hold pole position as ‘essential reading’ on a national level, highlighting the outstanding diverse and inclusive books published by authors based in the UK and Ireland during 2024.

Abiola Bello, co-founder of The DBAs: “Once again, we have the best diverse shortlist in book publishing! It’s so exciting celebrating five years of The Diverse Book Awards and seeing such fantastic books. There is a range of familiar names and past winners, as well as debuts. The judges have been so amazing helping us with the longlist and shortlist and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in October.”

Helen Lewis, co-founder of The DBAs: “We all know that diversity in publishing is imperative for so many reasons; from enriching the narrative through sharing stories that help shape our understanding of the world, to building acceptance, empathy, positive self-esteem, healthy relationships, and kindness. This year’s shortlist literally has something for everyone, and I am so proud of all that The Diverse Book Awards has done, and continues to do, on a grassroots to a national scale.”

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The Diverse Book Awards Shortlist 2024

Adult Shortlist

Bellies by Nicola Dinan (Doubleday)

Close to Home by Michael Magee (Hamish Hamilton)

Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks (Jonathan Cape)

Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton (Hodder & Stoughton)

How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage by Dr Amir Khan (Macmillan)

Maame by Jessica George (Hodder and Stoughton)

Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie (Oneworld)

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (Viking)

Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah (HarperCollins)

Young Adult Shortlist

A Million To One by Adiba Jaigirdar (Hodder Children’s Books)

Away With Words by Sophie Cameron (Little Tiger)

Boy Like Me by Simon James Green (Scholastic)

Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (Bloomsbury YA)

My Life As A Chameleon by Diana Anyakwo (Atom)

This Book Kills by Ravena Guron (Usborne)

The First Move by Jenny Ireland (Penguin Random House Children’s)

Wild Song by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books)

You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud (Usborne)

Children’s Shortlist

A Different Kind of Freedom: A Romani Story by Richard O’ Neill (Scholastic)

Glitter Boy by Ian Eagleton (Scholastic)

Glow Up Lara Bloom by Dee Benson (Hot Key Books)

Kicked Out by A. M. Dassu (Old Barn Books)

Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)

Steady For This by Nathanael Lessore (Hot Key Books)

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Otter-Barry Books)

The Storm Swimmer by Clare Weze (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio (Faber)

Picture Book Shortlist

A Hero Like Me by Angela Joy & Jen Reid, illustrated by Leire Salaberria (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)

Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green, illustrated by Francis Martin (Little Tiger)

Grandad’s Pride by Harry Woodgate (Andersen Press)

I’m Going to Be a Princess by Stephanie Taylor, illustrated by Jade Orlando (Nosy Crow)

Not Now, Noor! by Farhana Islam, illustrated by Nabila Adani (PRH Children’s)

One Little Word by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Allison Colpoys (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)

Shine by Sarah Asuquo, illustrated by Nadia Fisher (Scholastic)

Stop! That’s Not My Story by Smriti Halls, illustrated by Erika Meza (Simon & Schuster Children’s

To The Other Side by Erika Meza (Hodder Children’s Books)