PPC ANNOUNCE 2024 ANNUAL AWARDS JUDGING LINE-UP & SHORTLISTS
The winners were named at the Annual Award dinner after a day of deliberations by a panel of book industry and media professionals, chaired by Bea Carvalho, Head of Books at Waterstones. She was joined by: Jo James of Jo James Events & Festivals Management; author and producer Joe Haddow; journalist, editor and author Sarah Shaffi; Book-ish owner Emma Corfield-Walters; and Bex Lindsay, presenter at Fun Kids Radio.
Bea Carvalho – Chair of Judges and Head of Books at Waterstones, said: ‘We are delighted to celebrate the vital work done by publicists today as we announce the winners of the PPC Awards. The impressive and highly varied campaigns across all 15 categories highlight the astonishing creative talent to be found in publicity departments across our industry. It was a pleasure to read about them all and to reflect on an excellent year of publishing, and the individuals whose passion and tenacity shepherded authors, illustrators, and their books to the attention of the widest possible audiences. Huge congratulations to all the shortlistees and the excellent winners – they should all be very proud.’
Anna Frame, Chair of the PPC and Communications Director at Canongate, said: ‘Every year, the PPC Awards celebrates the hard work of publicists from across the industry, pushing those more used to being behind the scenes into the spotlight. Each and every submission we receive displays creativity, tenacity and, most notably, incredible thought and care – so to even be shortlisted is a massive achievement. Congratulations are due to all those who submitted, to the publicists shortlisted and of course to all of our winners. I’d also like to thank our sponsors for their support; our judges for their time, energy and insight; and my incredible colleagues on the PPC committee, without whom these awards – and so much more – simply wouldn’t happen.’
The full list of winners is as follows:
The Waterstones Award for Best Hardback Fiction Campaign
Anna Frame, Canongate – All Fours by Miranda July
(Highly commended: Louise Court, Hodder & Stoughton and Emma Knight, Studio49 – You Are Here by David Nichols)
The Bookseller Award for Best Hardback Non-Fiction Campaign
Fran Owen, Mari Yamazaki, Annabel Robinson and Hayley Camis, Bloomsbury – WANT: Sexual Fantasies Submitted by Anonymous, collected by Gillian Anderson
The Connell MPA Award for Best Celebrity Campaign
Ellie Hughes, Penguin Michael Joseph – I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart
The PPC Award for Best Debut Campaign
Anna Frame, Canongate – Poyums by Len Pennie
(Highly commended: Isabelle Ralphs & Charlotte Bush, Cornerstone – The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey)
The PPC Award for Best Children’s and YA Celebrity Campaign
Amber Ivatt, Bonnier Books – Max Magic: The Incredible Holiday Hideout by Stephen Mulhern with Tom Easton, illustrated by Begona Fernandez Corbalan
The Daily Mail Award for Best Children’s Book Campaign
Eve Wersocki Morris, EWM PR (for Simon & Schuster) – Skandar and the Skeleton Curse by AF Steadman
The PPC Award for Best YA Campaign
Tina Mories, Scholastic – Let’s Split Up by Bill Wood
The PPC Award for Best Crime and Thriller Campaign
Mia Quibell-Smith, Vintage – Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
The PPC Award for Best Academic Campaign
Chloe Foster, Yale University Press – Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration by Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman
The Books Are My Bag Award for Best Lifestyle, Gift and Humour Campaign
Frankie Banks, Penguin Michael Joseph – The Book of Gifts by Lucy Claire Dunbar
The How To Academy Award for Best Generic Campaign
Hannah McMillan & Emily Laidlaw, Midas – Announcement of Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024-2026, Frank Cottrell-Boyce
(Highly commended: Emma Draude, Sabina Maharjan & Katey Pugh, ed public relations – The Yoto Carnegies 2024)
The PPC Award for Best Cookery Book Campaign
Ellen Turner, Orion – SO GOOD by Emily English
The PPC Award for Best Sports Book Campaign
Rebecca Mundy, Hodder & Stoughton – All That Matters by Chris Hoy
The PPC Award for Paperback Campaign
Patrick Hargadon, 4th Estate – Butter by Asako Yuzuki
The Jo James Award for Best Newcomer Campaign
Rosie Catcheside, Faber – Sylvia Plath’s Tomato Soup Cake: A Compendium of Classic Authors’ Favourite Recipes
Issued by:
Anna Frame, Communications Director at Canongate and Chair of the PPC
anna.frame@canongate.co.uk