Advertisement
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Just £9.99 for the next 8 weeks
SUBSCRIBE
Books

Dara McAnulty named youngest winner of prestigious Wainwright Prize

The 16-year-old Big Issue Changemaker called it an "astounding moment" as he scooped the UK nature writing prize for his book Diary of a Young Naturalist

Big Issue Changemaker and teen nature campaigner Dara McAnulty has become the youngest winner of a major literary prize as he scooped the prestigious Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing.

A leading light of the conservation and climate movement at 16, the Northern Irish author starred on The Big Issue’s cover back in May, explaining how the natural world brought stability and solace to his world during lockdown.

Now Dara’s debut book Diary of a Young Naturalist has been him recognised with the Wainwright Prize after he took the title at a virtual awards ceremony yesterday. The book is an extraordinary portrayal of his intense connection to the natural world alongside his perspective as an autistic teenager juggling exams, friendships and a life of campaigning.

Responding to the historic win, Dara said: “It is an astounding moment, not just for me, but for young people, young writers, young nature lovers.

“This tells our community that our voices matter, our ideas worthy, our stories captivating.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“It is astonishing and tremendous and I’m going to use the prize money to attempt to enhance people’s lives. I’m going to try and make young people, young writers’ lives easier.

“When young autistic people are nurtured and accepted, miraculous things can happen. And this is certainly one of them.”

Now in its seventh year, The Wainwright Prize is awarded annually to the book which most successfully inspires readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world.

And Dara’s effort blew away the six-strong judging panel, led by another Big Issue favourite, television presenter Julia Bradbury.

Diary of a Young Naturalist is a significant nature book – made all the more so because it is Dara McAnulty’s first, completed before his 16th birthday,” said Bradbury.

“Our Wainwright Prize winner this year is nuanced, passionate and caring. It’s a wonderful diary that fits around Dara’s personal endeavours and family experiences, but ultimately, shaped by the nature that surrounds us all.

“The judges were almost breathless from reading it and would like to call for it to be immediately listed on the national curriculum. Such is the book’s power to move and the urgency of the situation we face.”

Dara wins a £5,000 prize fund to be shared with Benedict Macdonald, the winner of the new Global Conservation Prize for his book Rebirding. The pair also receive framed trophies featuring Jon Tremaine’s stunning artwork.

Advertisement

Buy a Big Issue Vendor Support Kit

This Christmas, give a Big Issue vendor the tools to keep themselves warm, dry, fed, earning and progressing.

Recommended for you

View all
How consumerism and colonialism helped make dogs the pets we know and love today
Dogs

How consumerism and colonialism helped make dogs the pets we know and love today

Ripcord by Nate Lippens review – acid-tongued meditations on middle-aged homosexuality
Books

Ripcord by Nate Lippens review – acid-tongued meditations on middle-aged homosexuality

Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse review – language pared back almost to the bone
Books

Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse review – language pared back almost to the bone

House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende: 'I have regrets – I hurt my family badly'
Letter To My Younger Self

House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende: 'I have regrets – I hurt my family badly'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know