An April afternoon in Wanstead Park’s Chalet Wood, London. Image – Getty: Abdul Shakoor
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Deadline to Enter: July 6
As the 55th Earthday.org highlight passed on Tuesday (April 22), a used-book company in the United Kingdom called World of Books announced a program to encourage and recognize authors who “whose works promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
“Coinciding with Earth Day 2025,” the company wrote, “the launch of this initiative underscores World of Books’ commitment to driving meaningful conversations around sustainability through the power of literature.”
And there’s a parallel here with what many of the most astute speakers on our panels and staged conversations are saying about book publishing and the climate crisis: it’s not just what is done to shrink a carbon footprint or be sure the right paper is being sourced. It’s also about looking for chances to publish literature that positions the importance of sustainability in readers’ minds, working through storytelling to illuminate potential future effects of good and responsible crisis-response vs. lackluster, disorganized, ineffective efforts that lead to a degraded world and compromised lifestyles
Of course, being a British company, the team at World of Books thought of awards. This is easily the world’s most award-focused market, and in this case that has led to the announcement of World of Books’ new Sustainable Story Award.
The program will, its organizers say, “celebrate authors across fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature who engage with urgent environmental and social themes—including, but not limited to, climate action, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, social justice, and sustainable economies.”
A total award fund of £25,000 (US$33,170) is expected to supply £15,000 for the winner of the award and £5,000 for each of two runners-up.
A Mentoring Jury
This year’s Sustainable Story Award jurors are, from left, Amanda Ridout; Anna Bond; Piers Torday; Shannon Cullen; and Sophie Galleymore Bird
Members of a jury selected for the first round of the award comprise:
- Amanda Ridout: founding CEO of Boldwood Books
- Anna Bond: managing director of Octopus Publishing Group
- Piers Torday: children’s book author
- Shannon Cullen: UK publishing director at Walker Books
- Sophie Galleymore Bird: author and environmental activist
In this case, the jurors are expected not just to select a winner and runners-up but also to “mentor the writers, offering expert guidance to help shape their careers and maximize their books’ impact.”
Writers interested in the program must have published at least one time. “As this is the inaugural year of the awards,” the organizers write, “the focus is on supporting authors who have already navigated the publishing process and are working on their next sustainability-focused book.”
Free to enter, applying writers need to be based in the United Kingdom, and the deadline for entries is July 6. There’s an extensive FAQ that an interested writer will want to read carefully.
Dan Mucha
In a comment on the announcement of the new award, World of Books CEO Dan Mucha is quoted, saying, “The Sustainable Story Award invests in authors whose stories shape our understanding of the global climate emergency and the people and movements working to build a better future.
“For World of Books customers, sustainability is a core reason they choose to purchase second-hand books and other products in the circular economy. Our goal with this award is [intended] to provide meaningful support to the community of authors and readers exploring the role they can play on their journeys to make a lasting, positive impact on people and the environment.”
Some may find that the graphics on the site around the announcement of the Sustainable Story Award make it difficult to tell whether this is a contest for adult or younger writers. Perhaps the most useful bit of text in the FAQ outlines what this program considers a “sustainable story”:
“A sustainable story explores themes related to environmental, social, or economic sustainability. It can be fiction or nonfiction and may reflect sustainability through its central message, the world it imagines, or the issues it confronts. What matters most is that the story contributes meaningfully to conversations about building a better, more resilient future. Here are a few ways sustainability might appear in your work.
- “Environmental sustainability: Stories that explore climate change, biodiversity loss, resource management, renewable energy, or the consequences of environmental neglect—whether through nonfiction analysis or speculative, dystopian, or cli-fi fiction.
- “Social sustainability: Narratives focused on justice, equality, and sustainable communities, including topics like climate justice, ecofeminism, or Indigenous rights.
- “Economic sustainability: Works that critique existing economic systems and propose or imagine alternatives—highlighting green economies, sustainable development, and the economic impacts of environmental collapse.
“The strongest entries will approach these themes with originality, clarity, and purpose—inviting readers to reflect, question, and act.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on the United Kingdom’s market is here, more on ecological and environmental sustainability in world publishing is here, and more on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and related programs and events is here.