Martin Waddell To Receive A Lifetime Award At An Post Irish Book Awards 2024
County Down based children’s author Martin Waddell to be honoured with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2024.
- Waddell, bestselling author of Owl Babies (1992), is the first children’s author to receive the award.
- Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Waddell at the annual An Post Irish Book Awards in Dublin on 27th November.
- Waddell joins a host of distinguished recipients including Professor Roy Foster, Anne Enright, Sebastian Barry, Maeve Binchy, Colm Tóibín, Eavan Boland and Seamus Heaney.
The An Post Irish Book Awards is delighted to announce that Martin Waddell is the recipient of this year’s ‘Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award’. The award will be presented on 27th November at the 2024 awards ceremony in The Convention Centre, Dublin.
As the 2024 Lifetime Achievement honouree, Martin Waddell will join a host of other distinguished recipients including Sebastian Barry, Colm Tóibín, Thomas Kinsella, Eavan Boland, John Montague JP Donleavy, Paul Durcan, John Banville, Maeve Binchy, John McGahern, Edna O’Brien, William Trevor, Seamus Heaney, Anne Enright and Professor Roy Foster. All previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award can be found at:
https://www.irishbookawards.ie/history/hall-of-fame/
With more than one hundred books to his credit and 25 million books sold worldwide, he is one of the most prolific and successful children’s writers. He is best known for Owl Babies (1992) and the Little Bear books, illustrated by Barbara Firth.
Waddell won the prestigious Hans Christian Anderson Award in 2004, which is considered the highest international recognition for an author of children’s books. He is also two time winner of the Smarties Book Prize and received the Kurt Maschler Award among others.
In conferring the award, the Board of the Irish Book Awards said: “Northern Irish author, Martin Waddell, is best known for his work in the genre of children’s literature.
“Previously, Waddell had written thrillers and adult fiction under the pseudonym Catherine Sefton but having transitioned to children’s literature, he became one of the most popular and well-beloved authors in the genre.
“His most famous book is Owl Babies (1992), a picture book about three baby owls waiting anxiously for their mother to return. It has become a timeless classic, widely read in homes and schools alike, and praised for its reassuring message of maternal love and security.
“Equally popular are the Little Bear books, illustrated by Barbara Firth, which explore themes of friendship, family, and adventure.
“You would struggle to find an Irish parent who hasn’t read these books to their children at one time or another and all Irish booksellers owe Martin a massive debt for the privilege of selling and recommending his wonderful go-to classics.
Waddell’s signature style is simple, direct, and suffused with an instinctive empathy for the concerns of children and their parents.
A deeply private person, Waddell lives quietly at his home in County Down. His legacy, however, is far-reaching, as his stories continue to be cherished by new generations of readers around the world.
“For all of the above reasons, the Board of the An Post Irish Book Awards wish to present the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award to Martin Waddell.’
Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, said:
“The Board of the An Post Irish Book Awards is delighted to present the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award to Martin Waddell.
“His storytelling captures the hearts of readers both young and old, and his work is filled with warmth, imagination, and a deep understanding of childhood, making him one of the most beloved voices in children’s literature.
“Waddell’s ability to bring characters to life and explore universal emotions with such tenderness and insight makes him a worthy recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Now in its 19th year, the An Post Irish Book Awards celebrate and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year, the An Post Irish Book Awards bring together a vast community passionate about books – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – to recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent.
The winners will be announced on 27th November 2024.
Other categories include:
- TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year
- Dubray Biography of the Year
- Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year
- WHSmith Non-Fiction Book of the Year
- Eason Novel of the Year
- Bookselling Ireland Food & Drink Book of the Year
- Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year
- Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year
- Eason Sports Book of the Year
- Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana
- Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Junior
- Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Senior
- International Education Services Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy
- Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year
- Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year
- Ireland AM Popular Fiction Book of the Year
- The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award
- New Irish Writing Best Short Story in association with the Irish Independent
- New Irish Writing Best Poetry in association with the Irish Independent
- An Post Bookshop of the Year
A one-hour television special, hosted by Oliver Callan, will be broadcast on RTÉ One on 19th December, giving viewers an exclusive insight into the six books and the authors competing for the accolade of ‘An Post Irish Book Awards Book of the Year 2024’, culminating in the reveal of this year’s overall winner.
