Costa Book Award for Biography

{{Incomplete list|date=April 2023}}

Costa Books of the Year are distinguished wit a blue ribbon ({{blue ribbon}}).

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1972

|{{sortname|James|Pope-Hennessy}}

|Anthony Trollope

|{{sortname|Anthony|Trollope|}} (1815–1882), English novelist of the Victorian period

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1973

|{{sortname|John|Wilson|John Wilson, 2nd Baron Moran}}

|CB: A Life of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman

|{{sortname|Sir Henry|Campbell-Bannerman|Henry Campbell-Bannerman}}(1836–1908), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1974

|{{sortname|Andrew|Boyle|dab=journalist}}

|Poor, Dear Brendan: The Quest for Brendan Bracken

|{{sortname|Brendan|Bracken|}} (1901–1958), Irish-born businessman and British politician

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1975

|{{sortname|Helen|Corke}}

|In Our Infancy

|{{sortname|Helen|Corke|}} (1882–1978), English writer and schoolteacher

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1976

|{{sortname|Winifred|Gerin}}

|Elizabeth Gaskell

|{{sortname|Elizabeth|Gaskell|}} (1810–1865), English writer

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1977

|{{sortname|Nigel|Nicolson}}

|Mary Curzon

|{{sortname|Mary|Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston|}}(1870–1906), British noble, Vicereine of India

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1978

|{{sortname|John|Grigg|}}

|Lloyd George: The People's Champion

|{{sortname|Lloyd|George|David Lloyd George}} (1863–1945), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1979

|{{sortname|Penelope|Mortimer}}

|About Time

|{{sortname|Penelope|Mortimer|}} (1918–1999), Welsh-born English writer

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1980

|{{sortname|David|Newsome|David Newsome (historian)}}

|On the Edge of Paradise: A. C. Benson, Diarist

|{{sortname|A. C.|Benson|}} (1862–1925), English essayist and poet

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1981

|{{sortname|Nigel|Hamilton|Nigel Hamilton (author)}}

|Monty: The Making of a General

|{{sortname|Field Marshal Bernard Law|Montgomery|Bernard Law Montgomery}} KG, GCB, DSO, PC, DL (1887–1976), the first Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1982

|{{sortname|Edward|Crankshaw}}

|Bismarck

|{{sortname|Otto|von Bismarck|}} (1871–1890), also known as the Iron Chancellor, the first Chancellor of Germany

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="2"|1983

|{{sortname|Victoria|Glendinning}}

|Vita

|The Honorable {{sortname|Victoria Mary|Sackville-West|Vita Sackville-West}}, Lady Nicolson, CH (1892–1962), English author and garden designer (1892–1962)

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

|{{sortname|Kenneth|Rose}}

|King George V

|{{sortname|King George V||George V}}(1865–1936), King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India 1910–1936

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1984

|{{sortname|Peter|Ackroyd}}

|T. S. Eliot

|{{sortname|T. S.|Eliot|}} (1888–1965), US-born British poet

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1985

|{{sortname|Ben|Pimlott}}

|Hugh Dalton

|{{sortname|Hugh|Dalton|}} (1887–1962), British Labour politician

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1986

|{{sortname|Richard|Mabey}}

|Gilbert White

|{{sortname|Gilbert|White|}} (1720–1793), English naturalist, ecologist, and ornithologist; author of Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1987

|{{sortname|Christopher|Nolan|Christopher Nolan (author)}}

|Under the Eye of the Clock {{blue ribbon}}

|{{sortname|Christopher|Nolan|Christopher Nolan (author)}} (1965–2009), Irish poet and author

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1988

|{{sortname|A. N.|Wilson}}

|Tolstoy

|{{sortname|Leo|Tolstoy|}} (1828–1910), Russian writer, author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1989

|{{sortname|Richard|Holmes|Richard Holmes (biographer)}}

|Coleridge: Early Visions {{blue ribbon}}

|{{sortname|Samuel Taylor|Coleridge|}} (1772–1834), English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1990

|{{sortname|Ann|Thwaite}}

|AA Milne–His Life {{blue ribbon}}

|{{sortname|A. A.|Milne|}} (1882–1956), British author

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1991

|{{sortname|John|Richardson|John Richardson (art historian)}}

|A Life of Picasso {{blue ribbon}}

|{{sortname|Pablo|Picasso|}} (1881–1973), 20th-century Spanish painter and sculptor

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1992

|{{sortname|Victoria|Glendinning}}

|Trollope

|{{sortname|Anthony|Trollope|}} (1815–1882), English novelist of the Victorian period

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1993

|{{sortname|Andrew|Motion}}

|Philip Larkin: A Writer's Life

|{{sortname|Philip|Larkin|}} (1922–1985), English writer, jazz critic and librarian

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

!1994

|{{sortname|Brenda|Maddox}}

|D H Lawrence: The Married Man

|{{sortname|D. H.|Lawrence|}} (1885–1930), English writer and poet

|Winner

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|1995

|{{sortname|Roy|Jenkins}}

|Gladstone

|{{sortname|William|Gladstone|William Ewart Gladstone}} (1809–1898), British Liberal prime minister

|Winner

|

|-

|Paul Berry and Mark Bostridge

|Vera Brittain–A Life

|{{sortname|Vera|Brittain|}} (1893–1970), English nurse and writer

|

|

|-

|{{sortname|Gitta|Sereny}}

|Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth

|{{sortname|Albert|Speer|}} (1905–1981), Architect and Minister of War Production in Nazi Germany

|

|

|-

|{{sortname|Geoffrey|Wansell}}

|Terence Rattigan

|{{sortname|Terence|Rattigan|}} (1911–1977), British playwright and screenwriter

|

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|1996

|{{sortname|Diarmaid|MacCulloch}}

|Thomas Cranmer: A Life

|{{sortname|Thomas|Cranmer|}} (1489–1556), 16th-century English Archbishop of Canterbury and Protestant reformer

|Winner

|

|-

|Rosemary Ashton

|George Eliot: A Life

|{{Sortname|George|Eliot}} (1819–1880), English novelist, essayist, poet, journalist, and translator

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|Flora Fraser

|{{Sortname|The|Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline|nolink=1}}

|Caroline of Brunswick, (1768–1821), Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover as the wife of King George IV

|

|-

|James Knowlson

|Damned to Fame: The Life of Samuel Beckett

|{{sortname|Samuel|Beckett|}} (1906–1989), Nobel-winning modernist Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, translator and poet

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="5"|1997

|{{sortname|Graham|Robb}}

|Victor Hugo

|{{sortname|Victor|Hugo|}} (1802–1885), French novelist, poet, and dramatist

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Jessica|Douglas-Home}}

|Violet: The Life and Loves of Violet Gordon Woodhouse

|{{sortname|Violet|Gordon-Woodhouse|}} (1872–1948), British harpsichordist and clavichordist

| rowspan="4"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Kate|Summerscale}}

|Queen of Whale Cay

|{{sortname|Marion "Joe"|Carstairs|Joe Carstairs}} (1900–1993), Wealthy British power boat racer known for their speed, eccentric lifestyle, and gender nonconformity

|

|-

|{{sortname|Stella|Tillyard}}

|Citizen Lord

|{{Sortname|Lord Edward|FitzGerald}} (1763–1798), Irish revolutionary

|

|-

|{{sortname|Jenny|Uglow}}

|Hogarth, A Life and a World

|{{sortname|William|Hogarth|}} (1697–1764), English artist and social critic

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="3"|1998

|{{sortname|Amanda|Foreman|Amanda Foreman (historian)}}

|Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

|{{sortname|Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire||Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire}}(1757–1806), English socialite, political organiser, style icon, author, and activist

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|John|Bayley|John Bayley (writer)}}

|Iris, A memoir of Iris Murdoch

|{{sortname|Iris|Murdoch|}} (1919–1999), Irish-born British writer and philosopher

| rowspan="2"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Ian|Kershaw}}

|Hitler, Volume One Hubris 1889–1936

|{{sortname|Adolf|Hitler|}}, Führer of Nazi Germany (1889–1945)

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="3"|1999

|{{sortname|David|Cairns|David Cairns (writer)}}

|Berlioz Volume Two: Servitude and Greatness

|{{sortname|Hector|Berlioz|}} (1803–1869), French music composer and conductor

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Nicholas|Shakespeare}}

|Bruce Chatwin

|{{sortname|Bruce|Chatwin|}} (1940–1989), English writer, novelist and journalist

| rowspan="2"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Hilary|Spurling}}

|Matisse

|{{sortname|Henri|Matisse|}} (1869–1954), 20th-century French artist

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2000

|{{sortname|Lorna|Sage}}

|Bad Blood–A Memoir

|{{sortname|Lorna|Sage}} (1943–2001), English academic, literary critic and author

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Claire|Harman|Claire Harman (writer)}}

|Fanny Burney

|{{sortname|Fanny|Burney}} (1752–1840), English diarist, novelist and playwright; the first literary woman novelist

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Tim|Hilton}}

|John Ruskin: The Later Years

|{{sortname|John|Ruskin}} (1819–1900), English writer and art critic

|

|-

|{{sortname|Ian|Kershaw}}

|Hitler: 1936–45 Nemesis

|{{sortname|Adolf|Hitler|}}, Führer of Nazi Germany (1889–1945)

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2001

|{{sortname|Diana|Souhami}}

|Selkirk's Island

|{{sortname|Alexander|Selkirk}} (1676–1721), Scottish sailor and castaway

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Anthony|Bailey|Anthony Bailey (author)}}

|Vermeer: A View of Delft

|{{sortname|Johannes|Vermeer}} (1632–1675), Dutch painter

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Adam|Sisman}}

|Boswell's Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson

|{{sortname|James|Boswell}}, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (1740–1795), author of The Life of Samuel Johnson, which is discussed in Sisman's biography

|

|-

|{{sortname|Geoffrey|Wall}}

|Flaubert: A Life

|{{sortname|Gustave|Flaubert}} 1821–1880), French novelist

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2002

|{{sortname|Claire|Tomalin}}

|Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self {{blue ribbon}}

|{{sortname|Samuel Pepys|}} (1633–1703), English diarist

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Miranda|Carter}}

|Anthony Blunt: His Lives

|{{sortname|Anthony|Blunt|}} (1907–1983), British art historian, Soviet spy

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Brenda|Maddox}}

|Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA

|{{sortname|Rosalind |Franklin|}} (1920–1958), British chemist, biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer

|

|-

|{{sortname|Ysenda|Maxtone Graham}}

|{{Sortname|The|Real Mrs Miniver|nolink=1}}

|{{sortname|Jan|Struther|}} (1901–1953), author of the book-turned-film Mrs. Miniver

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2003

|{{sortname|DJ|Taylor|D. J. Taylor (writer)}}

|Orwell: The Life

|{{sortname|George|Orwell|}} (1903–1950), English author and journalist

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|John|Campbell|John Campbell (biographer)}}

|Margaret Thatcher - Volume Two: The Iron Lady

|{{sortname|Margaret|Thatcher|}} (1925–2013), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Caroline|Moorehead}}

|Martha Gellhorn

|{{sortname|Martha|Gellhorn|}} (1908–1998), American journalist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Andrew|Wilson|Andrew Wilson (author)}}

|Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith

|{{sortname|Patricia|Highsmith|}}(1921–1995), American novelist and short story writer

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2004

|{{sortname|John|Guy|John Guy (historian)}}

|My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots

|Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|David|McKie}}

|Jabez: The Rise and Fall of a Victorian Rogue

|{{Sortname|Jabez Spencer|Balfour}} (1843–1916), businessman, philanthropist, politician, temperance campaigner and charmer

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|John|Sutherland|John Sutherland (author)}}

|Stephen Spender

|{{sortname|Stephen|Spender|}} (1909–1995), English poet and man of letters

|

|-

|{{sortname|Jeremy|Treglown}}

|V.S. Pritchett: A Working Life

|{{sortname|V.S.|Pritchett|}} (1900–1997), British writer and literary critic

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2005

|{{sortname|Hilary|Spurling}}

|Matisse the Master

|{{sortname|Henri|Matisse|}} (1869–1954), 20th-century French artist

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Nigel|Farndale}}

|Haw-Haw: The Tragedy of William and Margaret Joyce

|{{Sortname|William and Margaret|Joyce|William Joyce}} (1900s), American-born fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Richard|Mabey}}

|Nature Cure

|{{Sortname|Richard|Mabey}} (born 1941), British writer and broadcaster

|

|-

|{{sortname|Alexander|Masters}}

|Stuart: A Life Backwards

|{{Sortname|Stuart Clive|Shorter}}, prisoner and a career criminal

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2006

|{{sortname|Brian|Thompson|dab=writer}}

|Keeping Mum

|{{sortname|Brian|Thompson|nolink=1}}

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Maggie|Fergusson}}

|George Mackay Brown: The Life

|{{sortname|George|Mackay Brown|}} (1921–1996), Scottish poet 1921–1996

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|John|Stubbs|nolink=1}}

|John Donne: The Reformed Soul

|{{sortname|John|Donne|}} (1572–1631), English poet and cleric

|

|-

|{{sortname|Jo|Tatchell}}

|Nabeel's Song: A Family Story of Survival in Iraq

|{{sortname|Nabeel|Yasin|}}(born 1950), Iraqi poet, journalist and political activist

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2007

|{{sortname|Simon|Sebag Montefiore}}

|Young Stalin

|{{sortname|Joseph|Stalin|}} (1878–1953), Leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953

|Winner

|

|-

|{{sortname|Julie|Kavanagh}}

|Rudolf Nureyev

|{{sortname|Rudolf|Nureyev|}} (1938–1993), Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Ben|Macintyre}}

|Agent Zigzag

|{{sortname|Eddie|Chapman|}} (1914–1997), Double agent for Britain during World War 2

|

|-

|{{sortname|Michael|Simkins}}

|Fatty Batter

|{{sortname|Michael|Simkins}}

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2008

|{{sortname|Diana|Athill}}

|Somewhere Towards the End

|{{sortname|Diana|Athill}} (1917–2019), British literary editor, novelist and memoirist

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=|date=January 6, 2009|title=Awards: Costa Book Awards Category Winners|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=831|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192409/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=831|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Judith|Mackrell}}

|Bloomsbury Ballerina

|{{Sortname|Lydia|Lopokova}} (1892–1981), Russian ballet dancer

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Sathnam|Sanghera}}

|If You Don't Know Me By Now: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton

|{{sortname|Sathnam|Sanghera}} (born 1976), British journalist and author

|

|-

|{{sortname|Jackie|Wullschlager}}

|Chagall

|{{sortname|Marc|Chagall|}} (1887–1985), Russian-French artist

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2009

|{{sortname|Graham|Farmelo}}

|{{Sortname|The|Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius}}

|{{sortname|Paul|Dirac|}} (1902–1984), English theoretical physicist

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 5, 2010|title=Awards: Costa Book Awards|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1084|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192407/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1084|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|William|Fiennes|William Fiennes (author)}}

|{{Sortname|The|Music Room|nolink=1}}

|{{sortname|William|Fiennes|William Fiennes (author)}} (born 1970), English author

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Simon|Gray}}

|Coda

|{{sortname|Simon|Gray}} (1936–2008), English playwright and memoirist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Caroline|Moorehead}}

|Dancing to the Precipice

|{{Sortname|Henriette-Lucy,|Marquise de La Tour du Pin Gouvernet}} (1770–1853), French aristocrat famous for her posthumously published memoirs, Journal d'une femme de 50 ans

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="3"|2010

|{{sortname|Edmund|de Waal}}

|{{Sortname|The|Hare with Amber Eyes}}

|Ephrussis family, 20th-century Ukrainian Jewish banking and oil dynasty

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 26, 2011|title=Awards: Costa; DBW Publishing Innovation; Dilys Shortlist|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1376|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192420/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1376|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 5, 2011|title=Awards: Costa Category Winners|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1360|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192423/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1360|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Sarah|Bakewell}}

|How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

|{{Sortname|Michel de|Montaigne}} (1533–1592), one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance

| rowspan="2"|Shortlist

|

|-

|{{sortname|Michael|Frayn}}

|My Father's Fortune

|{{sortname|Michael|Frayn}} (born 1933), English playwright and novelist

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2011

|{{sortname|Matthew|Hollis}}

|Now All Roads Lead to France: The Last Years of Edward Thomas

|{{Sortname|Edward|Thomas|Edward Thomas (poet)}} (1878–1917), a seminal poet in the history of British literature known for his work exploring the notions of disconnection and unsettledness

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 25, 2012|title=Awards: Costa Book of the Year|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1649|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207020013/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1649|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|first2=|date=January 4, 2012|title=Awards: Costa Winners|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1634|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192422/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1634|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Julia|Blackburn}}

|Thin Paths: Journeys In and Around an Italian Mountain Village

|{{sortname|Julia|Blackburn}} (born 1948), British author of both fiction and non-fiction

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{Cite web|title=Costa Book Awards 2011 shortlist: Julian Barnes nominated again|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8893393/Costa-Book-Awards-2011-shortlist-Julian-Barnes-nominated-again.html|access-date=2022-12-07|website=The Telegraph|archive-date=2022-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126063435/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8893393/Costa-Book-Awards-2011-shortlist-Julian-Barnes-nominated-again.html|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Patrick|Cockburn}} and Henry Cockburn

|Henry’s Demons: Living with Schizophrenia, A Father and Son’s Story

|

|-

|{{sortname|Claire|Tomalin}}

|Charles Dickens: A Life

|{{sortname|Charles|Dickens|}} (1812–1870), English writer and social critic

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2012

|{{sortname|Mary|Talbot|Mary M. Talbot}} and Bryan Talbot

|Dotter of Her Father's Eyes

|

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 3, 2013|title=Awards: Costa Category Winners|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1898|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192411/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1898|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2013-01-29|title=Mantel Wins Costa Award|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/55718-mantel-wins-costa-award.html|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Publishers Weekly|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207193904/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/55718-mantel-wins-costa-award.html|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Artemis|Cooper}}

|Patrick Leigh-Fermor: An Adventure

|{{sortname|Sir Patrick Michael Leigh|Fermor|Patrick Leigh Fermor}} (1915–2011), British author and soldier

|

|

|-

|{{sortname|Selina|Guinness}}

|{{Sortname|The|Crocodile by the Door: The Story of a House, a Farm and a Family|nolink=1}}

|{{sortname|Selina|Guinness}}

|

|

|-

|{{sortname|Kate|Hubbard}}

|Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household

|

|

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2013

|{{sortname|Lucy|Hughes-Hallett}}

|{{Sortname|The|Pike: Gabriele D'Annunzio, Poet, Seducer and Preacher of War}}

|{{Sortname|Gabriele|D'Annunzio}} (1863–1938), Italian writer

|Winner

|{{Cite web|date=6 January 2014|title=Former winners recapture Costa prize|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25627541|accessdate=6 January 2014|publisher=BBC News|archive-date=5 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905122923/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25627541|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 7, 2014|title=Awards: Costa; Pacific Northwest; Arabic Fiction|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2159|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192418/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2159|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Gavin|Francis}}

|Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence & Emperor Penguins

|{{sortname|Gavin|Francis}} (born 1975) Scottish physician and a writer on travel and medical matters

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{cite web|author=Mark Brown|date=26 November 2013|title=Costa book awards 2013: late author on all-female fiction shortlist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/26/costa-book-award-shortlists-2013|accessdate=November 27, 2013|work=The Guardian|archive-date=3 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403092244/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/26/costa-book-award-shortlists-2013|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2013-11-26|title=Costa Book Awards 2013: Shortlist in full|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/costa-book-awards-2013-shortlist-in-full-8965287.html|access-date=2022-12-07|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207193900/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/costa-book-awards-2013-shortlist-in-full-8965287.html|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Thomas|Harding|Thomas Harding (writer)}}

|Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz

|Hanns Alexander (1917–2006), German Jewish refugee who tracked down and arrested the Kommandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Höss

|-

|{{sortname|Olivia|Laing}}

|{{Sortname|The|Trip to Echo Spring: Why Writers Drink|nolink=1}}

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2014

|{{sortname|Helen|Macdonald|Helen Macdonald (writer)}}

|H is for Hawk {{blue ribbon}}

|

|Winner

|{{cite web|date=27 January 2015|title=Helen Macdonald wins 2014 Costa book award for 'haunting' H is for Hawk|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/27/costa-book-award-helen-macdonald-h-is-for-hawk-win|work=Guardian|accessdate=2 March 2015|archive-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221171326/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/27/costa-book-award-helen-macdonald-h-is-for-hawk-win|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=27 January 2015|title=Helen Macdonald wins Costa Book of the Year 2014|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31009421|work=BBC News|accessdate=2 March 2015|archive-date=12 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312030457/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31009421|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|John|Campbell|John Campbell (biographer)}}

|Roy Jenkins: a Well-Rounded Life

|{{sortname|Roy|Jenkins|}} (1920–2003), British politician, historian and writer

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{cite web|author=Oliver Arnoldi|date=18 November 2014|title=2014 Costa Book Awards shortlists announced|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookprizes/11238023/2014-Costa-Book-Awards-shortlists-announced.html|work=Daily Telegraph|accessdate=January 12, 2015|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112172025/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookprizes/11238023/2014-Costa-Book-Awards-shortlists-announced.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=November 20, 2014|title=Awards: Costa Shortlist|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2391|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192414/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2391|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Marion|Coutts}}

|{{Sortname|The|Iceberg: a Memoir|nolink=1}}

|{{Sortname|Tom|Lubbock}}, the chief art critic for The Independent

|-

|{{sortname|Henry|Marsh|Henry Marsh (neurosurgeon)}}

|Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2015

|{{sortname|Andrea|Wulf}}

|{{Sortname|The|Invention of Nature|link=}}

|{{Sortname|Alexander|von Humboldt}} (1769–1859), Prussian geographer, naturalist and explorer

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 5, 2016|title=Awards: Costa Winners; John Leonard Longlist|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2662|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192409/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2662|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Robert|Douglas-Fairhurst }}

|{{Sortname|The|Story of Alice: Lewis Carroll and the Secret History of Wonderland|link=|nolink=1}}

|{{Sortname|Lewis|Carroll}} (1832–1898), British writer, Anglican deacon and photographer, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{Cite web|date=November 18, 2015|title=Awards: Costa; Royal Society Young People's; Melbourne Lit|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2637|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192421/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2637|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Thomas|Harding|Thomas Harding (writer)}}

|{{sortname|The|House by the Lake||nolink=1}}

|

|-

|{{sortname|Ruth|Scurr}}

|John Aubrey: My Own Life

|{{Sortname|John|Aubrey}} (1626–1697), English writer and antiquarian

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4" |2016

|{{sortname|Keggie|Carew}}

|Dadland: A Journey into Uncharted Territory

|

|Winner

|

|-

|{{Sortname|John|Guy|dab=historian}}

|Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years

|

| rowspan="3" |Shortlist

| rowspan="3" |{{cite web |author=Sian Cain |date=22 November 2016 |title=Costa book award 2016 shortlists dominated by female writers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/22/costa-book-award-2016-shortlists-dominated-by-female-writers-rose-tremain-maggie-o-farrell-sarah-perry |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003144004/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/22/costa-book-award-2016-shortlists-dominated-by-female-writers-rose-tremain-maggie-o-farrell-sarah-perry |archive-date=3 October 2022 |accessdate=October 3, 2022 |work=The Guardian}}

|-

|{{Sortname|Hisham|Matar}}

|{{Sort|Return|The Return}}

|

|-

|{{Sortname|Sylvia|Patterson}}

|I’m Not With the Band

|

|-style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2017

|{{sortname|Rebecca|Stott}}

|In the Days of Rain

|{{sortname|Rebecca|Stott}} (born 1964), British writer and broadcaster

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=Cockburn|first=Harry|date=2018-01-03|title=Helen Dunmore wins posthumous Costa award for poetry written weeks before she died|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/helen-dunmore-posthumous-costa-award-for-poetry-win-a8138986.html|access-date=2022-12-07|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207024730/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/helen-dunmore-posthumous-costa-award-for-poetry-win-a8138986.html|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Xiaolu|Guo}}

|Once Upon a Time in the East: A Story of Growing Up

|

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{Cite web|date=2017-11-21|title=Helen Dunmore's final poems lead shortlists for 2017 Costa prizes|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/21/helen-dunmores-final-poems-lead-shortlists-for-2017-costa-prizes|access-date=2022-12-07|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206181623/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/21/helen-dunmores-final-poems-lead-shortlists-for-2017-costa-prizes|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=November 22, 2017|title=Awards: Scotiabank Giller Winner; Costa Shortlists|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3134|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209002319/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3134|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Caroline|Moorehead}}

|{{Sortname|A|Bold and Dangerous Family: The Rossellis and the Fight Against Mussolini|link=|nolink=1}}

|

|-

|{{sortname|Stephen|Westaby}}

|Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table

|

|- style="background:lightyellow;"

!2018

|{{sortname|Bart|van Es}}

|{{sortname|The|Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found||nolink=1}} {{blue ribbon}}

|

|Winner

|{{Cite web|title=The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es named Costa Book of the Year 2018|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1gF4PfT74lbBGG8tdXvnCc5/the-cut-out-girl-by-bart-van-es-named-costa-book-of-the-year-2018|access-date=2022-02-06|website=BBC|language=en-GB|archive-date=2022-01-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104112759/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1gF4PfT74lbBGG8tdXvnCc5/the-cut-out-girl-by-bart-van-es-named-costa-book-of-the-year-2018|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 8, 2019|title=Awards: Costa Book Winners; Arabic Fiction Longlist|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3406|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192416/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3406|url-status=live}}

|- style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2019

|{{sortname|Jack|Fairweather|Jack Fairweather (writer)}}

|{{sortname|The|Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz|link=The Volunteer (book)}} {{blue ribbon}}

|{{Sortname|Witold|Pilecki}} (1901–1948), Polish underground resistance soldier and World War II concentration camp resistance leader

|Winner

|{{Cite news|last=Doyle|first=Martin|date=6 January 2020|title=Costa Book Awards 2019 winners revealed|language=en|work=The Irish Times|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/costa-book-awards-2019-winners-revealed-1.4131655|access-date=28 January 2020|archive-date=13 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613083402/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/costa-book-awards-2019-winners-revealed-1.4131655|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=January 7, 2020|title=Awards: Costa Book Category Winners|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3649|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192407/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3649|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Laura|Cumming|}}

|On Chapel Sands: My Mother and Other Missing Persons

|

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{Cite web |last=Broster |first=Alice |date=2019-11-27 |title=These Are The 20 Books Nominated For The Costa 2019 Book Awards |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-costa-book-awards-2019-shortlist-has-been-released-itll-give-you-serious-reading-inspo-19407873 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Bustle |language=en |archive-date=2022-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207193902/https://www.bustle.com/p/the-costa-book-awards-2019-shortlist-has-been-released-itll-give-you-serious-reading-inspo-19407873 |url-status=live }}

|-

|{{sortname|Adam|Nicolson||link=}}

|{{Sortname|The|Making of Poetry|link=|nolink=1}}

|Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet, literary critic and philosopher (1772–1834), and William Wordsworth, English Romantic poet (1770–1850)

|-

|{{sortname|Lindsey|Hilsum||link=}}

|In Extremis

|Marie Colvin, American journalist who worked as a foreign affairs correspondent

|- style="background:lightyellow;"

!2020

|{{sortname|Lee|Lawrence}}

|The Louder I Will Sing

|

|Winner

|{{cite web|date=January 2021|title=Costa Book of the Year: 'Utterly original' Mermaid of Black Conch wins|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55816858|access-date=2021-02-03|publisher=BBC|archive-date=2022-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607130700/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55816858|url-status=live}}

|- style="background:lightyellow;"

! rowspan="4"|2021

|{{sortname|John|Preston|John Preston (author, born 1953)}}

|Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell

|

|Winner

|{{Cite web|title=Costa Book Awards 2021 category winners announced|url=https://costanewsroom.vuelio.co.uk/press/press-releases/a657bbca-30fd-4330-81e0-3976bcc4a5ba/costa-book-awards-2021-category-winners-announced|access-date=2022-01-05|website=Costa|archive-date=2022-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105031313/https://costanewsroom.vuelio.co.uk/press/press-releases/a657bbca-30fd-4330-81e0-3976bcc4a5ba/costa-book-awards-2021-category-winners-announced|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=February 2, 2022|title=Awards: Costa Book of the Year Winner; Minnesota Book Finalists|url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4161|access-date=2022-12-07|website=Shelf Awareness|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207192419/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4161|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Arifa|Akbar|}}

|Consumed: A Sister’s Story

|

| rowspan="3"|Shortlist

| rowspan="3"|{{Cite web|last=Flood|first=Alison|date=2021-11-23|title=Costa prize 2021 shortlists highlight climate anxiety|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/nov/23/costa-prize-2021-shortlists-highlight-climate-anxiety|access-date=2022-12-07|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207023228/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/nov/23/costa-prize-2021-shortlists-highlight-climate-anxiety|url-status=live}}

|-

|{{sortname|Ed|Caesar|}}

|{{sortname|The|Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest|The Moth and the Mountain}}

|

|-

|{{sortname|Lea|Ypi|}}

|Free: Coming of Age at the End of History

|

|}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.costabookawards.org/ Official website]

{{Whitbread Awards}}

Category:Awards established in 1971

Category:Awards disestablished in 2022

Category:English-language literary awards

Category:Costa Book Awards