Living Canon

Costa Book Awards 1998: Complete list of winners

The 1998 Costa Book Awards—then still known as the Whitbread Awards before the coffee company’s sponsorship takeover—delivered a remarkable snapshot of British and Commonwealth publishing at the close of the millennium. That year’s winners proved remarkably diverse, from the intimate biographical revelation of Amanda Foreman’s Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire to the haunting debut novel The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden, which would go on to become an international sensation and eventual film adaptation. The awards demonstrated their characteristic eye for both commercial appeal and literary substance, celebrating established voices alongside exciting new talent.

Perhaps most notably, 1998 saw Ted Hughes claim the Poetry Prize for Birthday Letters, a collection that broke decades of public silence and offered readers unprecedented access to the poet’s personal landscape. Elsewhere, David Almond’s Skellig captured the Children’s Book Award with a luminous blend of magical realism and coming-of-age authenticity that would cement the author’s status as one of contemporary children’s literature’s finest voices. Justin Cartwright’s Leading the Cheers won the Novel category, adding yet another layer of quality to a year that felt particularly rich with accomplished storytelling across every category.

Below, you’ll find the complete breakdown of all five category winners from this landmark awards year.

Biography

Children’s Book

First Novel

Novel

Poetry