1st October 2025: The judges for the Nero Book Awards 2025, the leading multi-category awards celebrating the craft of great writing and the joy of reading, are announced today. Consisting of experts from the world of books – including award-winning writers, renowned booksellers and industry professionals – the line-up includes Paterson Joseph, Sinéad Gleeson, Edmund Gordon and Sharna Jackson.
Now in its third year, the Nero Book Awards have quickly become one of the most prestigious fixtures in the literary calendar, widely regarded as ‘one of Britain and Ireland’s greatest literary prizes’ (The Times). The Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding authors and exceptional writing across the UK and Ireland in four categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction, and Children’s Fiction.
The 2025 judges will look for books that demonstrate outstanding writing and literary excellence; while also selecting the titles they most want to recommend to others for their quality writing and readability. The judges are searching for books that are expertly crafted, highly enjoyable and likely to stand the test of time.
Also joining this year’s judging panels are: Nicole Vanderbilt, MD of Bookshop.org; Sarah Gwonyoma, Literary Editor for Red Magazine and founder of the popular online platform, What Sarah Read Next; Emily Bearn, children’s literary critic for The Telegraph, and founder of BookBar, Chrissy Ryan.
The judging panels will each select four titles in their category – creating a 16-strong shortlist – before choosing an overall winner. The four category winners will then compete for the prestigious Nero Gold Prize, awarded by a final judging panel to the overall book of the year. The Nero Gold Prize winner will receive £30,000, whilst category winners receive £5,000 each. Eligible books must have been published in the UK or Ireland between 1st December 2024 and 30th November 2025.
Previous winners of the renowned Nero Gold Prize have included The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (2023) and Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst (2024). Winning the Prize propelled both authors to new audiences and chart success.
The Nero Book Awards are run as a not-for-profit organisation by independent, family-owned coffee house group Caffè Nero, in partnership with The Booksellers Association and Brunel University of London. The Awards form part of premium coffee house’s long-standing commitment to supporting the arts, recognising notable talent in a particular craft and fostering a love of reading in communities across the UK and Ireland.
Gerry Ford, Founder and CEO, Caffè Nero, said: “The Nero Book Awards have grown from strength to strength, and I’m proud that they are recognised amongst the most prestigious literary prizes in the UK and Ireland. Our judges truly represent some of the most influential people in the industry in terms of talent and taste-making. I’m eager to discover which books they select as the reads of the year from the UK and Ireland for their shortlists.”
The 2025 Nero Gold Prize will be awarded on 4th March 2026, at an evening ceremony at the Outernet in central London.
Full details of the Nero Book Awards partners and category judges can be found below. Further information about the Awards can be found at www.nerobookawards.com.
NERO BOOK AWARDS 2025