CBI Bisto Book of the Year Award
Unprecedented fourth win for Kate Thompson
Kate Thompson has won the CBI Bisto Book of the Year '05/'06 for her book The New Policeman. The results of the sixteenth CBI Bisto Book of the Year Award were announced today at a ceremony in the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre in Dublin.
Kate was presented with the CBI Bisto Book of the Year Perpetual Trophy and a cheque for E6,000 by Minister for Education & Science, Mary Hanafin, TD and Chairperson of the Judging Panel, Declan Kiberd.
This year's Eilís Dillon Award went to Deirdre Madden, author of Snakes' Elbows, published by Orchard Books. Deirdre was presented with a specially commissioned glass sculpture and a cheque for E3,000.
Three Honour Awards (E2,000 & framed certificate) were also presented to:
Oliver Jeffers for Lost and Found, Kevin Kiely for A Horse Called El Dorado and Eileen O¹Hely and Nicky Phelan, author and illustrator of Penny the Pencil.
Kate is the first author in the history of the Awards to win the overall Bisto Book of the Year award four times. Both nationally and internationally acclaimed, The New Policeman has already scooped the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction, as well as the Dublin Airport Authority children's book prize.
In recognition of her immense achievement in the CBI Bisto Book of the Year awards over the years, sponsors RHM Ireland Limited and CBI have decided to retire the Bisto Perpetual Trophy to Kate. RHM Ireland will commission a new trophy for next year's CBI Bisto Book of the Year.
Also shortlisted for this year's awards were Eoin Colfer for Artemis Fowl:
The Opal Deception; Gillian Lobel and Adrienne Geoghegan, author & illustrator of Fancy That!; Oisin McGann for Under Fragile Stone; Dairine Ni Dhonnchu and Maria Murray, author & illustrator of Briona ag Briongloideach; and John Quinn for Bill & Fred?.
