The Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize is awarded annually to the book which most successfully reflects the ethos of renowned nature writer Alfred Wainwright’s work, to inspire readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world. Congratulations to the authors shortlisted for this year:

Chair of judges, Julia Bradbury comments: ‘The judges are delighted to have settled on such a strong shortlist and what an honour it is to sing the praises of these terrific books. Because the quality of nature writing is so high, we have taken the unprecedented move of shortlisting seven books rather than six. These books paint a picture of the natural world as dynamic, varied and beautiful and we hope that in reading them people will be inspired to go and explore the UK’s wonderful natural environment.’

Here is the full 2017 shortlist:

• Love of Country by Madeleine Bunting
• The Otter’s Tale by Simon Cooper
• The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel
• Where Poppies Blow by John Lewis-Stempel
• Wild Kingdom by Stephen Moss
• The January Man by Christopher Somerville
• The Wild Other by Clover Stroud

Supported by Wainwright Golden Beer and the Wainwright estate and in partnership with the National Trust, this year’s winner will receive prize money of £5000. They will be revealed on 3 August. Find out more about the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize here.