The judging panels for the Whitbread Book Awards 2005 were announced today and include writer and broadcaster John Humphrys; authors Philippa Gregory, Margaret Drabble and Linda Newbery; comedy writer and performer Arabella Weir and children’s presenter Lizo Mzimba.

The full judging panels for the Whitbread Book Awards 2005 are:

Whitbread First Novel Award
· Susanna Rustin Deputy Editor, Guardian Review
· Robert Topping Topping & Company Booksellers
· Arabella Weir Comedy Writer/Performer and Author

Whitbread Novel Award
· Alex Clark Freelance Journalist, Broadcaster and Critic
· Philippa Gregory Author
· John Humphrys Writer and Broadcaster

Whitbread Biography Award
· Margaret Drabble Novelist and Biographer
· Frances Wilson Biographer and Critic
· Jon Woolcott Non-Fiction Buying Manager, Ottakar’s

Whitbread Poetry Award
· Ciaran Carson Professor of Poetry and Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen’s University, Belfast
· Suzie Dooré Senior Editor, Hodder and Stoughton
· Robert Potts Critic and Literary Journalist

Whitbread Children’s Book Award
· Lizo Mzimba CBBC Newsround Presenter
· Linda Newbery Author
· Professor Gervase Phinn Author and Lecturer
· Two young judges selected through a Presspackers’ competition run on CBBC’s Newsround

The Whitbread Book Awards, established by the UK’s leading hospitality business in 1971, have the single aim of celebrating the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

Since the introduction of the Whitbread Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won seven times by a novel, three times by a first novel, four times by a biography, five times by a collection of poetry and once by a children’s book. 

The judges must now read through the 476 books entered for this year’s Whitbread Book Awards - the highest number of entries ever received in one year.  The panels then select shortlists and winners in their respective categories (First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book) and the five award winners form the shortlist for the 2005 Whitbread Book of the Year, to be announced at an awards ceremony at The Brewery, central London on Tuesday January 24, 2006.

Now in its 35th year, the Whitbread is one of the UK’s most prestigious and popular book prizes with a total prize fund of £50,000.  Last year’s Whitbread Book of the Year, Small Island by Andrea Levy, has become a major bestseller, selling over 600,000 copies since its publication in paperback.

The Whitbread Book Awards, in partnership with the National Reading Campaign, CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), amazon.co.uk and the Booksellers Association, continue to explore new ways of promoting the enjoyment of reading in the UK.

To be eligible for the 2005 Awards, books must have been first published in the UK
or Ireland between 1 November 2004 and 31 October 2005.

For more information on the Whitbread Book Awards please visit: www.whitbreadbookawards.co.uk
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For further media information please contact:
Amanda Johnson at Karen Earl Sponsorship
Telephone: 020 7202 2837 (direct line) / email:  [email protected]

About Whitbread PLC:

Whitbread PLC is the UK's leading hospitality company, managing market leading businesses in the budget hotels, restaurant and health & fitness sectors, including Premier Travel Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, Costa, T.G.I. Friday's and David Lloyd Leisure, and a strategic investment in Pizza Hut (UK). 

Whitbread's success is due to the skill and professionalism of its 50,000 people who serve around 10 million customers each month at more than 2,200 outlets across the UK. Whitbread's strategy is to create value for our shareholders by focusing investment and growing in expanding sectors of the hospitality industry, primarily in the UK but also in selected  international markets.

In the financial year to March 3, 2005, Whitbread generated pre-tax, pre-exceptional profit of £263.5m on sales of more than £2,111m. Founded in 1742, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (as WTB.L) and is a member of the FTSE 100 and FTSE4Good indices.

Further information is available from www.whitbread.co.uk