The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) has great pleasure in revealing the 2025 Crown Awards shortlists, celebrating the best in historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, published during 2024–2025.
There are three awards categories — HWA Gold Crown, HWA Non-fiction Crown, and HWA Debut Crown — and six shortlisted books in each category.
The books shortlisted for the HWA Crown Awards for 2025 are:
HWA Gold Crown Award
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry (Canongate Books)
Our judges said: In 1890s Montana, a mail-order bride falls for a messed-up Irishman and together they flee into a frozen wilderness pursued by crazed bounty-hunters. Funny, gripping and stylistically brilliant, this is a poetic love story as well as a classic Western adventure.
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
A tender and life-affirming novel, inspired by a true story, set in the art department of a 1960s psychiatric hospital. Mysteries unfold with insight and humour in this quiet and memorable celebration of kindness and the human spirit.
Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans (Doubleday)
It’s 1945 and the aristocratic Vere-Thissett family grapples with a stately home that’s falling down, and a world that’s left them behind. Superb characterisation and beautifully understated humour, threaded through with a poignant love story.
The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa (Fairlight Books)
Based on true events, The Maiden of Florence is a beautiful, yet harrowing portrayal of how a young orphan girl is selected as the sacrificial lamb for the de’ Medici family. At the height of their power they exert dominance and control across Florence, and this is the story of just one girl, a girl who clings to a thread of hope while navigating her way through life in the patriarchal society of Renaissance Italy.
Hold Back the Night by Jessica Moor (Manilla Press)
The story of one woman’s life as a nurse conflicted by the devastating consequences of conversion therapy in the 1950s and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Heart-breaking yet full of hope and brilliantly written.
Time of the Child by Niall Williams (Bloomsbury)
When a newborn baby is found outside a church at Christmas 1962, many lives in a rural Irish town suddenly change course. Infused with emotion, wisdom and wit, this mesmerising portrait of a place and time is so intimate you almost feel you’re there.
The HWA Gold Crown Award judges are: Louise Hare (chair), Ellen Alpsten, Maggie Brookes, Mark Ellis, Louise Fein, Alison Joseph, Amy McElroy, Frances Quinn, Carolyn Kirby and Linda Porter.
Louise Hare says: “We’ve spent a wonderful six months or so reading some truly excellent novels. It’s been such an enjoyable process — though we had to make some difficult decisions and lose some beloved books in order to come to our shortlist. I would happily recommend any of these books to a friend or family member and they are proof of how relevant and exciting today’s historical fiction really is.”
HWA Non-fiction Crown Award
Lionessheart by Catherine Hanley (The History Press)
Lionessheart is a biography of a great Plantagenet woman, the overlooked sister of Richard the Lionheart. The judges were particularly impressed by Catherine Hanley’s ability to bring Joanna Plantagenet alive through meticulous research and excellent storytelling.
The Endless Country by Sami Kent (Picador)
This history of the first hundred years of the Republic of Turkey is told from the perspective of the author’s family. A vivid, colourful and often moving account of a tumultuous period in Turkey’s history.
Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (William Collins)
Using first-hand testimony, including the diary entries of leading society figures, this book reveals the complex and myriad circumstances which led to the American Civil War, and offers a new perspective on those turbulent events in an accessible and enlightening read.
Naples 1944 by Keith Lowe (William Collins)
What really happened in Naples in 1944? Few English-language historians have tackled the messy horror of the end of the war in Italy. Keith Lowe uncovers the truth in an fascinating and unflinching survey of a brutalised city.
Storm’s Edge by Peter Marshall (William Collins)
Storm’s Edge is an eye-opening history of Orkney, challenging the notion that these islands are peripheral and revealing both their seen and unseen history. The judges were impressed by Peter Marshall’s ability to combine scholarship with an intense meditation on place and belief.
Moederland by Cato Pedder (John Murray)
An innovative approach allows the reader to learn a great deal about the troubled history of South Africa, in a story of nine related women. From slaves to Boers to politicians, conquest and rebellion, the country’s rich history is brought to life with elegant prose and thoughtful analysis.
The HWA Non-fiction Crown Award judges are: Annie Whitehead (chair), Lucy Lethbridge, Ned Palmer, Ros Taylor and Francis Young.
Annie says: “After a lot of reading and discussion to narrow thing down from an excellent longlist, we are delighted to share the six books shortlisted for the HWA Non-fiction Crown. Wide-ranging across historical periods and continents, with fresh perspectives and innovative approaches, the books on this year’s non-fiction shortlist are informative, entertaining, and left a lasting impression on the judges.”
HWA Debut Crown Award
The Wicked of the Earth by AD Bergin (Northodox Press)
Set in England in 1650 against the backdrop of the greed and brutality of Interregnum England and the aftermath of Newcastle’s recent witch trials, a traumatised Parliamentarian spy seeks his missing sister but finds himself investigating the ongoing killing of women who had worked to free the accused. Truly powerful in its delivery, highlighting the constant pressure and prejudice women faced, always silenced by those who thought they knew better. Clever, tense and atmospheric.
The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable (Bloomsbury)
The combination of music, intoxication, and betrayal, and inspired by true events. The Instrumentalist is a compassionate coming-of-age story that explores youthful ambition and the allure of fame alongside its repercussions. Full of passion, and a masterful evocation of music, musicians and ambition in 18th-century Venice.
Nephthys by Rachel Louise Driscoll (Harvill Secker)
A spellbinding debut that glitters and shimmers with a riveting plot. The intriguing story of a forgotten daughter and a forgotten Egyptian goddess which starts in Victorian England and ends up amongst the pyramids of Egypt. Unexpected allies and enemies, long-buried secrets and betrayals make this a fascinating journey.
Winter of Shadows by Clare Grant (Black Spring Crime)
A gripping murder mystery set in 1860s York against an evocative historical background. Britain’s first forensic crime scene photographer finds herself investigating a series of murders while dealing with hostility and shock. The spirit of Victorian York is fully evoked in this deeply rich story.
A Poisoner’s Tale by Cathryn Kemp (Bantam)
A complex and powerful novel, both devastating and enlightening. The legendary figure of notorious 17th-century Italian poisoner Giulia Tofana, thought to be the first female serial killer in history, is brought to life in this feminist retelling. A gothic and spellbinding novel with poisoning and papal intrigue.
Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis (Doubleday)
Compulsively addictive, deliciously atmospheric and dripping in gothic style, Spitting Gold is a dark, sapphic fairytale. Set in 19th-century Paris, a gothic mystery featuring two estranged sisters — celebrated, but also fraudulent, spirit mediums who are attempting one last con. Will they get away with their tricks, or will they be unmasked?
The HWA Debut Crown Award judges are: Ayo Onatade (chair), Dan Bassett and Susan Heads.
Ayo says: “Drawing up the shortlist was an incredibly hard task due to the wide range of excellent novels that the judges longlisted. The shortlisted books all brought something different to the table from, an Italian serial killer to spirit mediums, Egyptology to a Parliamentarian spy, music to the introduction of a forensic crime scene photographer. Reading them all was a pleasure for all of the judges and reiterated how good historical fiction continues to be.”
Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors!
We’d like to thank the people who make the HWA Crown Awards possible. The authors, of course, for their outstanding books; the publishers who submit their authors’ books to us; our hard-working judges, who now have to choose one winner in each category; and HWA Chair Imogen Robertson, for organising the Crown Awards and the awards party every year.
The winning books in the 2025 HWA Crown Awards will be announced on 19 November, 2025, at our awards party. Their authors, and the winning and shortlisted authors of this year’s HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition, will receive their awards during the evening.
Have a look at all this year’s longlisted books.
If you’d like to buy any of the longlisted books, go to our Bookshop account where you’ll find them listed and be able to support independent bookshops as well as these 36 impressive authors. There’s 5 per cent off book prices at the moment, too.
Follow #HWACrowns25 on Twitter/X, Facebook and Bluesky. And don’t forget to come back to Historia on 19 November to see which three books are crowned the best of the best in historical writing this year!
Find out more about the background to some of these books in these Historia features:
Joanna Plantagenet, the lionhearted woman by Catherine Hanley
The liberation of Naples in 1943 – and its dire consequences by Keith Lowe
Historia interview: AD Bergin by Carolyn Kirby (about The Wicked of the Earth)
Giulia Tofana: poisoner, murderer, saviour? by Cathryn Kemp
