The James Cropper Wainwright Prize winners 2022
The James Cropper Wainwright Prizes for UK Nature Writing are awarded annually to books that successfully inspire readers to explore the outdoors, celebrate nature, and to nurture and respect the natural world. In 2022 there are three prize categories: nature writing, conservation writing, and children’s writing.
2022 winner of the prize for Nature Writing
Goshawk Summer: The Diary of an Extraordinary Season in the Forest by James Aldred
In early 2020, wildlife film-maker James Aldred was commissioned to make a documentary following the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest - the place of his childhood. He began to plan a treetop hide in a remote site that would allow him to film the Gos nest, their newly hatched chicks and the lives of this illusive and enchanting bird.
Then lockdown. And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods - except James. At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming.
2022 winner of the prize for Global Conservation Writing
Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino
From a tiny crimson pear in the west of England to great chunks of fermented sheep meat in the Faroe Islands, from pistachios in Syria to flat oysters in Denmark, from a wild honey harvested with the help of birds to an exploding corn that might just hold the key to the future of food – these are just some of the thousands of foods around the world today that are at risk of being lost for ever.
In this captivating and wide-ranging book, Dan Saladino spans the globe to uncover the stories of these foods. He meets the pioneering farmers, scientists, cooks, food producers and indigenous communities who are preserving food traditions and fighting for change. The research reveals a world at a crisis point – the future of our planet depends on reclaiming genetic biodiversity before it is too late.
2022 winner of the prize for Children’s Writing
The Biggest Footprint by Rob and Tom Sears
The mega human: colossal, clueless … And the biggest hope for life on earth. There are eight billion of us humans. All breathing, eating, fidgeting and thinking deep thoughts. It’s an unimaginably large number. Or is it? Say hello to the mega human: all the people in the world smooshed into one spectacular giant.
Even though it’s not the smartest of creatures, the mega human is slowly beginning to understand the problems it has created for Planet Earth’s future … and how it might be able to fix them.
