The winners of the Polari Prize 2022 were announced on Tuesday 15th November at a ceremony at the British Library.

Founded in 2011, the Polari Prize is the UK’s only award dedicated to celebrating literature that explores the LGBTQ+ experience. This year, for the first time, the award included a Children’s and YA category to stand alongside the existing Polari First Book Prize and Polari Prize for overall book of the year. The winner of the inaugural Polari Children’s and YA Prize is Nen and the Lonely Fisherman written by Ian Eagleton and illustrated by James Mayhew (Owlet Press).

Nen and the Lonely Fisherman was chosen from a shortlist of five titles by a panel made up of authors, librarians and booksellers. Chair of Judges Jodie Lancet-Grant commented: “We are delighted that Nen and the Lonely Fisherman has won the inaugural children’s and YA category of the Polari Prize. The judges agreed that this book does something important and radical by centring a queer love story in a picture book for young children. The story is innovative and moving, and the artwork truly stunning.”

The four other titles shortlisted for this year’s Polari Children’s and YA Prize were:

The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. by Jen Carney (Puffin)

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (Hodder Children’s Books)

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth (Andersen Press)

Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate (Andersen Press)

2022 Polari Prize Category Winners

2022 Polari First Book Prize –  Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures by Adam Zmith (Watkins Publishing)

2022 Polari Prize – C+nto & Othered Poems by Joelle Taylor (The Westbourne Press)