The Highclere Castle Book Readers Awards

Highclere Castle announces the annual Book Readers’ Awards sponsored by Viking.

Entries to the awards are now open and are an opportunity for book-lovers to review a book which has captivated or inspired them.

The book review can be a newly-published novel, a non- fiction title or a renowned classic but must fit in to one of the five listed categories. The winner of each category will win £500 with the five runners up each taking home £100.

The five categories are:

Travel - whether it’s a travelogue or a classic guide, this category is for those who love the idea or journey of travel.
Biographies - Exising biographies are numerous and this category is an opportunity for readers to share their experience of a fascinating personal portrait.
History - whether its history of the modern world, post war, a people’s tragedy, military history or continent specific, this is a category of vast choice.
Novel - The list is endless and everyone has their favourite narrative work which has inspired and uplifted the person. Last year’s winner, Sonja Volkelt reviewed The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, concluding that the book “truly emphasized the “power of books on human beings.”
Children’s books – Kenneth Grahame’s classic, The Wind in the Willows or The Very Hungry Caterpillar, to name only two but the choice is extensive.

The submission must be 500-700 words and categories will be judged by a panel of chaired by The Countess of Carnarvon.

Entries are to be sent to [email protected]. and they must be submitted by Friday 22nd August and the winners will receive their prizes at Highclere Castle’s History Festival at the beginning of September.

For further information, contact [email protected]

Highclere Castle would like to thank Viking for sponsoring the Book Readers’ Awards for the second year running.

Viking was founded in 1997 with the vision that travel could be more destination focused and culturally immersive.

The company expanded into the American market in 2000, establishing a sales and marketing office in Los Angeles, California. Since then, Viking has grown to a fleet of more than 90 vessels, offering river, ocean and expedition voyages on all seven continents. Viking provides destination-focused itineraries for curious travelers, with each journey including a shore excursion in every port and an onboard and onshore enrichment program that provides deep immersion in the destination through performances of music and art, cooking demonstrations, informative port talks and carefully selected guest lecturers.

With more than 450 awards to its name, Viking is a leader in the industry and was rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans (for ships sized 500 to 2,500 berths) and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler for the second year in a row in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. This marks the first time a travel company has won these three categories in back-to-back years.