About the Ruth Rendell Award
The award was launched in 2016 by the National Literacy Trust and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) in honour of the author Ruth Rendell, who tirelessly championed literacy throughout her lifetime and supported the National Literacy Trust since its foundation in 1993.
Nomination criteria for the Ruth Rendell Award
We welcome nominations for authors from publishers, libraries and library associations, booksellers and booksellers associations, schools, charities and individuals.
Nominees can be traditionally published or self-published, and each nominee should have gone above and beyond to promote literacy development for either adults or children in the UK over the past year.
Examples of this could include:
- Working with literacy or education charities to support literacy development
- Working with schools, adult education settings or community groups to improve literacy levels
- Using their platform to highlight literacy issues (e.g. social media)
- Lobbying the government or other influential groups on literacy issues
- Participating in events, workshops, awards, festivals and initiatives dedicated to reading and writing
Previous winners
- 2024: Greg James & Chris Smith
- 2022/23: Dapo Adeola & Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward
- 2021: Cecilia Knapp
- 2020: Karl Nova
- 2019: Tom Palmer
- 2017/18: Cressida Cowell
- 2016: Andy McNab
Submit a nomination
Nominations are now open for the 2025 award until 10 January 2025.
Please note that nominees cannot presently be employed by the National Literacy Trust or ALCS (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society).