The Historical Writers’ Association is delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 HWA Crown Awards, celebrating the best historical writing of the year, fiction and non-fiction.
After months of reading, discussing, disagreeing, agreeing, and many difficult choices, the judges have awarded the top prizes in the three categories, the Gold, Non-fiction, and Debut Crowns.
HWA Gold Crown Award
The Gold Crown for 2019 is awarded to Diane Setterfield for Once Upon a River.
HWA Non-fiction Crown Award
The 2019 Non-Fiction Crown, sponsored by Sharpe Books, goes to Ben Macintyre for The Spy and the Traitor.
HWA Debut Crown Award
The Debut Crown for 2019 is awarded to Laura Shepherd-Robinson for Blood & Sugar.
HWA/Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition
We also presented Kate Jewell with her prize for The Daisy Fisher, which won the HWA/Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition this year.
Read Kate Jewell’s short story in Historia.
See all the books shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Crown Awards.
Laura Shepherd-Robinson talks to Historia about researching her book, 18th-century slavery, getting published and advice for new writers. You can also read her feature about the background to Blood & Sugar.
Entries are now open for the 2020 HWA Crown Awards. They close on 30 April, 2020.
Photo gallery
The coveted Crown Award, presented this year at a ceremony at St Ethelburga’s Church in the Ciy of London
Imogen Robertson, the HWA’s chair, introducing the awards despite a faulty microphone
Historian Saul David, friend of the HWA and our MC for the evening
Cheese, provided by The Cheese Tasting Company, and, quite frankly, the only reason some of us were there
The venue was packed
Abir Mukherjee collected the HWA Debut Crown Award from judge Ayo Onatade of behalf of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, who couldn’t be at the ceremony
Ben Macintyre wasn’t able to collect his HWA Non-fiction Crown from judge Roger Moorhouse, either
But Diane Setterfield was there
And got her Gold Crown from judge Toni Senior
The winners of the HWA/Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition also picked up their prizes
Then it was time for everyone to relax and enjoy the evening
When it was time to go, there were enticing goodie bags, thanks to our friends and sponsors, The History Press
And copies of the longlisted Dorothy Dunnett short stories in paperback format
As well as Rubicon, the HWA/Sharpe Books short story and interview collection by authors who write about Ancient Rome
Huge thanks to everyone who made the evening possible, including the judges, and especially to Imogen Robertson and Toni Senior. And a special mention for our guest reporters, journalism students Millie Whitehead, Ffion Hughes and Gwen Jones from Bath Spa University.
Images: by Fran Hales
